Musca domestica Implicated in the Ecology of the Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC)

Livestock remains one of the main protein sources, but at the same time, it is one of the sources of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The same bacteria have found an ecological niche in the livestock establishment.

Musca domestica (fly) inhabits the same niche and will interact with livestock, exposing themselves to these bacteria. Escherichia coli, producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, is an organism resistant to oximino-cephalosporins and monobactams, which can compromise the lives of humans. Musca domestica is a vector that contributes to the transport and dispersion of resistant bacteria.

All these components justify an epidemiological intervention, where M. domestica could reveal the phenotypic and genotypic profile of antimicrobial resistance of E. coli and other microorganisms of clinical importance for humans and farm animals. This article highlights the conditions and factors that drive the ecology of resistance antimicrobials, E. coli and M. domestica, within the One Health approach.