Filth Flies As Carriers of Intestinal Parasites and Fungi in a Tertiary Institution in Ghana

Introduction: filth flies can mechanically transmit pathogens, some of which can cause significant diseases in humans and animals. methods: this study aimed at isolating and identifying pathogenic fungi and intestinal parasites from flies sampled with sweep nets and fly traps from different dumpsites in a tertiary institution. dumpsites at the various halls of residence were designated a, b, c, and d. results: pathogens were mostly isolated from the body surfaces of the flies. the 605 captured filth flies belonged to the two families, calliphoridae (77.69%) and muscidae (22.31%). three genera of fungi were identified, with aspergillus (91.69%) as the most predominant, followed by penicillium (5.23%) and rhizopus (3.08%). the intestinal parasites identified from only the external body surfaces of the sampled flies were protozoans, cryptosporidium parvum (95%), and entamoeba histolytica/dispar (0.83%), as well as helminths including ascaris lumbricoides (3.34%) and strongyloides stercoralis (0.83%). the percentage occurrence of fungi (57.54%) and intestinal parasites (85.83%) isolated from flies caught at dumpsites d and b were higher than those isolated from flies caught in any of the other study sites. conclusion: this study confirms filthy flies as mechanical transmitters of pathogens and emphasizes adopting control measures to prevent the possible spread of infections within the university community.