It would appear that there is more to the common housefly Musca domestica than being an irritating pest: as a carrier of more than 100 human diseases, it is a health risk. But its genome could also help humans to cope with disease-causing and toxic environments.
An international consortium of scientists has decoded the fly’s genome. The research appears in the journal Genome Biology.
The housefly lives on human and animal waste, and accounts for 91% of flies in areas of human habitation. It is a carrier of typhoid, cholera and parasitic worms, among many other unfortunate human diseases.
“Houseflies are a fascinating insect for scientists in many areas, such as developmental biology, sex determination, immunity, toxicology and physiology. The completed genome will be a phenomenal tool for researchers in all of these fields and will facilitate rapid advancements,” says lead author Jeff Scott of Cornell University.
Although they encounter – and pass on – pathogens, the flies do not succumb to them. This is why scientists are so interested in them.
When compared with the fruit fly, the researchers found that Musca domestica had significantly more immune system-related genes, and that its genome contained unique detoxification genes that helped it to break down the waste it feeds on.
So the housefly, dangerous pest that it is, could end up helping us.