Can common bugs spread superbugs?

Household insects may spread antibiotic resistant bacteria from animals to humans, which might potentially raise health risk in humans, according to a study published in the journal BMC Microbiology.

Insects find their way into homes and some of them could damage food, clothing, rugs, or furniture, and even carry diseases.

For the study, researchers from Kansas and North Carolina State Universities investigated the relationship between bacteria isolated from farm pig feces and the bacteria carried in house flies and German cockroaches, which were caught on the pig farm.

They tested antibiotic resistance and analyzed genetics of the bacteria, and found the house insects and German cockroaches carried bacteria that were also found in pigs.

And all the bacteria had high prevalence of antibiotic resistance.

"In the USA, antibiotics are widely used in pig farming as growth promoters; they cause the pigs to gain weight faster. As a result, the digestive tract bacteria in pigs are often exposed to selective pressure and many become resistant to antibiotics. Consequently, there's a risk that these bacteria might be transferred – by common livestock and urban pests such as house flies and cockroaches from pig farms to humans," said Dr. Ludek Zurek.

"Moreover, since we found such a good match between enterococci from pig feces and insects, it is possible that flies and cockroaches carry other microbes originating from swine feces with even greater public health importance and may transport them to the surrounding urban environment."

Eating properly cooked pork meat is thought to pose no harm to human body, but the insects that carried the same bacteria would fly into homes and spread the potentially harmful bacteria.

Space sprays or an aerosol bomb containing pyrethrins can be used to control flying insects inside a home. 

Chemical materials also can be used to reduce the amounts of insects around houses, but make sure they are safe to use indoors.