Can Flies Eat You?

Flies have no teeth, so they don’t chew your food. Instead, they regurgitate saliva on the surface of your food, which can contain pathogens that they picked up from their last meal. Unlike other insects, their germs remain inside their bodies for much longer, making them more likely to make you sick. Flies also defecate frequently and lay eggs on your food.

Fly bites can cause illnesses like diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain. These flies may also carry other diseases, including Shigella. However, these diseases are not prevalent everywhere that flies feed. Generally, they are found on raw meats and animal feces. You can minimize the risk of contracting these diseases by swatting away flies from your food.

Luckily, the transmission of a fly infection to humans is relatively easy to avoid. People with a strong immune system aren’t at risk. Even in the case of a fly infestation, strict sanitation and hygiene practices can prevent it. However, even if you are not at risk, you should still practice safe eating practices.

The most common symptoms are nausea and abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms are attributed to the larvae of a parasitic fly. These flies will lay hundreds of eggs and each egg will grow into an adult fly in a matter of days. If the food source is abundant, millions of flies can appear in a short amount of time. If you accidentally eat a fly egg, however, it is not likely to harm you.

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