Mechanical Vectors of Medical

Importance Cockroaches and House Fly

Dr Kasonda

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, students are expected to be
able to:
Classify cockroaches
Describe morphology and characteristics of
cockroaches, nymphs and eggs
Describe life cycle of cockroaches
Describe medical importance and control measures of
cockroaches
Describe morphology and characteristics of house fly
Describe life cycle of house fly
Describe medical importance and control measures of
house fly

Classification of
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are winged dark brown or black insects
measuring 1-5cm long, flattened dorsoventrally and have
a smooth, shiny and tough integument.
Cockroaches are insects that belong to the family
Blattidae and order Blattaria.
Among the best-known pest species are the American
cockroach, Periplaneta americana which is about 30
millimetres (1.2 inch) long, the German cockroach,
Blattella germanica, about 15 millimetres (0.59 inch) long.
Tropical cockroaches are often much bigger.

Morphology and Characteristics

of Cockroaches
Adults
Cockroaches live in a wide range of environments around the
world.
Pest species of cockroaches adapt readily to a variety of
environments, but prefer warm conditions found within
buildings.
Cockroaches are nocturnal - active at night.
Roaches that are active during the day may be victims of
overcrowding or may be looking
for food or water
Cockroaches are rather large insects. Most species are about 15cm long.

 Are dark brown or black in colour flattened dorsoventrally

and have a smooth, shiny and tough integument.
Have a pair of long and prominent filiform antennae arising
from the front of the head between the eyes.
The mouthparts are developed for chewing, gnawing and
scraping, therefore cockroaches cannot suck blood.
Have narrow and thickened hard forewing which is lathery
in texture called tegmina, and membranous hind wings.
Viewed from above, the head appears small and it is
sometimes almost hidden by the large, rounded pronotum.

 There are 3 pairs of legs which are well developed

and covered with prominent small spines and bristles;
the five-segmented tarsi end in a pair of claws.
The abdomen is segmented and more or less oval in
shape but is either completely or partly hidden from
view, by the overlapping wings.
In both sexes, there is a pair of prominent segmented
abdominal spicala (pilose cerci) which arise from the
last abdominal segment.
Cockroaches are most readily distinguished from
beetles (order coleoptera) by having the
fore-wing placed over the abdomen in a scissor-like
manner.

Morphological Features of a Cockroach

Nymph
Cockroach nymphs are greyish-brown in colour
and darken with each progressive moult.
The nymph stage ranges in length from 9 13
months.
Unlike many other insects, cockroach nymphs
are similar to the adults.
Cockroach nymphs undergo a series of moults,
known as instars.
They emerge as full adults from their final
moult.

Cockroach Eggs
Female cockroaches produce egg cases, known as oothecae.
The oothecae are normally dark brown in colour and ranges
from 5mm to 10mm in length.
Oothecae contain many eggs and are enveloped by a protein
substance, which gradually hardens into a strong, protective
casing.
The oothecae of most cockroach species contain 16 nymphs.
Some cockroach species drop the egg case, while other
species carry it until the eggs are ready to hatch.
The female in favourable conditions can produce 300 to 400
offspring.

Morphological Features of
Cockroaches and Oothecae
Cockroaches

A. Oriental Cockroaches (Blatta orintalis)

male
B. Oriental Cockroaches (Blatta
orientalis)female
C. German Cockroaches (Blattela
germanica) female
D. American Cockroaches (Periplaneta
amaricana

Oothecae

Female Blatella Germanica with

Ootheca.

Life Cycle of Cockroaches

Life Cycle
Cockroaches develop through egg and nymphal stages
before emerging as adults.
Eggs produced by female cockroaches are enclosed in
oothecae.
It takes 6 7 weeks for eggs to hatch into nymphs
depending on species and environmental conditions.

Nymphs resemble adults in appearance and behaviour,

although they are smaller in size and do not have wings.

 Nymphs undergo 8 moults before

becoming fully mature adults.
After the final moult, nymphs are
equipped with wings.
Adult cockroaches have an average
lifespan of up to two years.
Temperature and other environmental
conditions greatly affect the survival of
cockroaches.
Adult cockroaches reproduce rapidly

Life Cycle of Cockroach

Medical Importance and Control

of Cockroaches (
Medical Importance of Cockroaches
Cockroaches are important household pests
and mechanical vectors of pathogenic
organisms. They are Mechanical Vectors of:
o Entamoeba histolytica
o Salmonella typhi
o Arspergillus spp
o Trichomonas hominis
o Giardia lamblia
o Balantidium coli.

 They are biological vectors of helminths

They are intermediate host of:
o Acanthrocephalid and Moniliformis
o Gonglyonema pulchrum
o Echinococus vermincularis
o Toxoplasma gondii
Some people are allergic to cockroaches
o It appears that sensitized people can react to
cockroach by eating cockroach- contaminated
food, or inhaling their dried feacal pellets.

Control of Cockroaches
Cleanliness in kitchens and
protection of stored foods.
Repair of cracks and tight fitting
plumbing installations in the walls.
House fumigation using kerosene
sprays, chlordane, Malathion or
diazinon.
Dusting using Chlordane or
Malathion.

Morphology and Characteristics of House Fly

(Musca Domestica)

Introduction
The house fly, Musca domestica linnaeus,
(insecta: diptera: muscidae) is a wellknown cosmopolitan pest of both farm and
home. This species is always found in
association
with humans or activities of humans.
Not only are house flies a nuisance, but
they can also transport disease-causing
organisms.

Morphology and Characteristics of House Fly

Eggs
Are white, about 1.2 mm in length, is laid singly but are piled in
small groups.
Larva
Early instars larvae are 3 to 9 mm long, typical creamy whitish in
color, cylindrical but tapering toward the head.

The head contains one pair of dark hooks.

.The posterior spiracles are slightly raised and the spiracular
openings are sinuous slits which are completely surrounded by an
oval black border.

 Pupa
Is about 8 mm long, is passed in a
pupal case formed from the last
larval skin which
varies in color from yellow, red,
brown, to black as the pupa ages.
The shape of the pupa is quite
different from the larva, being bluntly
rounded at both ends.

Adult
The house fly is 6 to 7 mm long, with the female usually larger
than the male.
Female can be distinguished from the male by the relatively
wide space between the eyes (in males, the eyes almost touch).
The head of the adult fly has reddish-eyes and sponging
mouthparts.
The thorax bears four narrow black stripes and there is a sharp
upward bend in the fourth longitudinal wing vein.
The abdomen is gray or yellowish with dark midline and
irregular dark markings on the sides.

 The underside of the male is yellowish.

Adults usually live 15 to 25 days, but may live up to two months.
Without food, they survive only about two to three days.
Longevity is enhanced by availability of suitable food, especially
sugar.
The house fly overwinters in either the larval or pupal stage
under manure piles or in other protected locations.

Warm summer conditions are generally optimum for the

development of the house fly, and it can complete its life cycle in
as little as seven to ten days.
However, under suboptimal conditions the life cycle may require
up to two months.
As many as 10 to 12 generations may occur annually in
temperate regions, while more than 20 generations may occur in
subtropical and tropical regions.

Life Cycle and Descriptions of

House Fly

 The house fly has a complete metamorphosis with

distinct egg, larva or maggot, pupal
and adult stages.
Each female fly can lay up to 500 eggs in several
batches of 75 to 150 eggs over a three to
four day period.
Maximum egg production occurs at intermediate
temperatures, 25 to 30C.
Often, several flies will deposit their eggs in close
proximity, leading to large masses of larvae and
pupae.
Eggs must remain moist or they will not hatch.

 The legless maggot emerges from the egg in warm weather

within eight to 20 hours, and immediately feeds on and
develops in the material in which the egg was laid.
The larva goes through three instars and a full-grown
maggot, 7 to 12 mm long, has a greasy, cream-colored
appearance.
High-moisture manure favors the survival of the house fly
larva.
The optimal temperature for larval development is 35 to
38C, though larval survival is greatest at 17 to 32C.
Larvae complete their development in four to 13 days at
optimal temperatures, but require 14 to 30 days at
temperatures of 12 to 17C.

 Nutrient-rich substrates such as animal manure provide

an excellent developmental substrate.

Very little manure is needed for larval development,

and sand or soil containing small amounts of degraded
manure allows for successful belowground
development.
When the maggot is full-grown, it can crawl up to 15
metres to a dried, cool place near breeding material
and transform to the pupal stage.
Pupae complete their development in two to six days at
32 to 37C, but require 17 to 27 days at about 14C).

 The emerging fly escapes from the

pupal case through the use of an
alternately swelling
and shrinking sac, called the
ptilinum, on the front of its head
which it uses like a
pneumatic hammer to break
through the case.

Medical Importance and Control

of House Flies
Medical Importance
Potential transmission of pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi,
protozoa, and nematodes) associated with this fly.
o Pathogenic organisms are picked up by flies from garbage, sewage
and other sources of filth, and then transferred on their mouthparts,
through their vomitus, feces and contaminated external body parts
to human and animal food.

o Some pathogens can be harbored in the mouthparts or alimentary

canal for several days, and then be transmitted when flies defecate
or regurgitate.

o Among the pathogens commonly transmitted

by house flies are Salmonella, Shigella,
Campylobacter, Escherichia, Enterococcus,
Chlamydia, and many other species that
cause illness.
o Are most commonly linked to outbreaks of
diarrhea and shigellosis, but also are
implicated in transmission of food poisoning,
typhoid fever, dysentery, tuberculosis,
anthrax, ophthalmia (trachoma), and
parasitic worms.
. Annoyance

Control of House Fly

The more commonly used control
measures for house flies are:
o Sanitation
o Use of traps
o Insecticides

Key Points
Cockroaches are winged dark brown or black insects
measuring 1-5cm long, flattened dorsoventrally and have a
smooth, shiny and tough integument.
The life cycle of cockroaches involves adult, eggs and nymph
stages.
Cockroaches are important household pests and vectors of
pathogenic organisms.
Control of cockroaches is based on cleanliness in kitchens,
protection of stored foods and application of pesticides.
House fly, like most insects, has four stages during its life
cycle, that is, egg, larva, pupa and adult. Lays its eggs on
decaying substances.

 These larvae pass from three development

sub stages, within a week or less, during
the
hottest periods and up to 8 weeks, when
temperatures are lower.
Adult house flies have many hairs on their
body, on which germs and dirt is easily
carried. The insects digestive system is
also full of germs, which are left on every
surface
by droppings and fluid secreted from its
mouth.

Evaluation
What are the common types of
cockroaches?
What are the medical importances of
cockroaches and house fly?
What are the control measures of
cockroaches and house fly?

 T H A N K

Y O U