Relevant Brachycera (Excluding Oestroidea) for Horses in Veterinary Medicine: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In equine stables and their surroundings, a large number of insects are present that can be a nuisance to their equine hosts. Previous studies about dipterans transmitting infectious agents to Equidae have largely focused on Nematocera. For the preparation of this systematic review, the existing literature (until February 2022) was systematically screened for various infectious agents transmitted to Equidae via insects of the suborder Brachycera, including Tabanidae, Muscidae, Glossinidae and Hippoboscidae, acting as pests or potential vectors. The PRISMA statement 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for systematic reviews were followed. The two concepts, Brachycera and Equidae, were combined for the search that was carried out in three languages (English, German and French) using four different search engines. In total, 38 articles investigating Brachycera as vectors for viral, bacterial and parasitic infections or as pests of equids were identified. Only 7 of the 14 investigated pathogens in the 38 reports extracted from the literature were shown to be transmitted by Brachycera. This review clearly shows that further studies are needed to investigate the role of Brachycera as vectors for pathogens relevant to equine health.

A survey of Wolbachia infection in brachyceran flies from Iran

“…Medically important flies belonging to the order Diptera, suborder Brachycera, and the families Sarcophagidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Fannidae are the vectors of many human and animal pathogens, causing significant nuisance and disease [1][2][3][4][5]. These insects have a worldwide spread, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, and they cause many health problems and damage to livestock each year in those areas [1,6].…”

“…Medically important flies belonging to the order Diptera, suborder Brachycera, and the families Sarcophagidae, Calliphoridae, Muscidae, and Fannidae are the vectors of many human and animal pathogens, causing significant nuisance and disease [1][2][3][4][5]. These insects have a worldwide spread, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, and they cause many health problems and damage to livestock each year in those areas [1,6]. In human societies, the fly families Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, and Fannidae live in close contact with humans [1][2][3][4][5][6], with adult flies and larvae feeding on human and pet feces, decomposing organic matter and spoiling meat [1,7].…”

“…These insects have a worldwide spread, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, and they cause many health problems and damage to livestock each year in those areas [1,6]. In human societies, the fly families Muscidae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, and Fannidae live in close contact with humans [1][2][3][4][5][6], with adult flies and larvae feeding on human and pet feces, decomposing organic matter and spoiling meat [1,7]. Moreover, several fly species cause myiasis, which is caused by the hatching and larval growth of the Cyclorrhapha fly in the human or animal body [8][9][10].…”