Coprophagous Flies as Biomonitors of Terrestrial Fecal Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance
Drew Capone
Faculty Mentor
Drew Capone (School of Public Health)
Project Description
While eating a meal outside or in your kitchen, the presence of flies incessantly buzzing around is common. Not only annoying, flies pose a public health hazard. Some flies–including house flies and blow flies–consume feces as part of their diet. This fecal material contains trillions of microbes, which may include pathogens and antibiotic-resistant organisms. Flies carry pathogens two ways: physically attached to their body as they land on the feces, and inside their alimentary canal. When a fly lands on any surface following a meal, it may vomit. This fly “speck” may be composed of fecal remnants that contain pathogenic organisms. Flies also defecate, and many pathogens can survive passage through the fly alimentary canal. The consumption of these pathogens by humans can lead to an infection, which is a prerequisite for illnesses such as diarrheal disease. The same behavior that causes flies to pose a public health risk also creates a unique opportunity for environmental monitoring. Certain species of flies–including blow flies and house flies–can be viewed as nature’s composite samplers of fecal material in the terrestrial environment. As part of this project, students will gain experience with field and wet lab work. Students will use our custom 3D printed trap and a sweep net to collect flies at sites around Bloomington. Flies will be transported to the lab for culture of fecal indicator bacteria (e.g., E. coli) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some flies will be stored in the freezer for potential molecular work (i.e., PCR) depending on project need and the student’s interest. Over the winter, when flies are no longer present in Bloomington, students will gain experience with data analysis in Microsoft Excel and R. The Capone Lab also maintains a colony of Blow Flies in our lab. Depending on student interest and project need, there will be an opportunity to be involved in controlled feeding studies of flies over the winter.
Technology or Computational Component
There will be opportunities to gain experience with data analysis in Microsoft Excel and R throughout this project. I (Dr. Capone) typically organize ~2-3 data analysis workshops for my lab group each semester. The student will also gain experience with quality control of the empirical data they produce as part of their field and lab work.