Potential for house cricket, Acheta Domesticus, to acquire, harbor and transmit human pathogens.

Abstract

Throughout human history, arthropods have served as the major group of vectors to transmit human pathogenic agents. Cockroaches are one of the most suspicious insects, transmitting many pathogens that cause diseases in hospital environments and living areas with poor hygiene. The house cricket, Acheta domesticus, shares similar gut morphology and feeding behaviors with cockroaches and also are closely associated with humans' habitation. However, it has not been reported that house crickets can acquire, harbor and transmit human pathogens not naturally present in their hindguts. In this project, Serratia marcescens, Salmonella typhimurium, Echerichia coli 0157:H7 and Bacillus atrophaeus were chosen to inoculate house crickets to detect their ability to acquire and harbor these microorganisms. House crickets were able to acquire these four bacteria through their diet. However, only S. marcescens was carried by house crickets for as long as 18 days after being inoculated. House crickets were not able to harbor either S. typhimurium or B. atrophaeus longer than 6 days. Moreover, there was only one cricket, being inoculated for 4 days, able to carry E.coli 0157:H7. In conclusion, house crickets are less likely than cockroaches to harbor and disseminate human pathogens. There is little evidence for relating human diseases to house crickets.