Flies in Hospitals Carrying Super Bugs

The article doesn’t mention if the flies are spreading the bacteria, but it is a fair presumption.

Flies in hospitals may pose a greater threat than a buzzing annoyance. A study published Friday found almost 9 out of 10 flying insects collected from seven hospitals in England carried potentially harmful bacteria on or in their bodies.

Over half of the bacterial strains identified were ‘superbugs,’ meaning they were resistant to at least one class of antibiotic, with almost 20% resistant to multiples classes of antibiotics. Penicillin was the least effective antibiotic against the bacteria that was found.

“What’s quite interesting, though, is the high proportion of drug-resistant bacteria found in these samples. It’s a vivid reminder of how our over-use of antibiotics in healthcare settings is making infections more difficult to treat.”