skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Welsh, Michael V"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Blow flies (Lucilia sericataandPhormia regina) are necrophagous insects that interact with dense microbial reservoirs and are opportunistic vectors of human and animal pathogens. Despite constant exposure to diverse environmental microbes, it is unclear whether their bacterial communities are primarily acquired stochastically or shaped by host factors that could influence pathogen carriage. We conducted a systematic comparison of wildL. sericataandP. reginacollected from seven cities across an urban-rural gradient to determine whether microbiome composition is structured by host species identity or environmental variables. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing of individual flies, we profiled bacterial communities and applied alpha- and beta-diversity analyses, PERMANOVA, and Random Forest classification to quantify species-level microbiome differentiation. Species identity was the strongest predictor of microbiome composition (PERMANOVA,p = 0.001), while location, land cover type, sampling month, and sex had no significant effects. Random Forest modeling identified multiple bacterial taxa that consistently distinguished the two species, includingIgnatzschineriaandDysgonomonas, which were enriched inP. regina, andVagococcusandEscherichia-Shigella, which were enriched inL. sericata. These taxa are of clinical relevance, withIgnatzschineriain particular increasingly reported from human myiasis and soft-tissue infections, sometimes exhibiting antimicrobial resistance. Our findings demonstrate that wild blow flies maintain species-specific microbiomes despite shared environments, suggesting that host identity strongly filters microbial communities. The presence of opportunistic pathogens within these structured microbiomes underscores the need to understand how blow fly–microbe associations contribute to pathogen persistence and dissemination. By revealing predictable, species-dependent microbiome patterns, this study highlights potential targets for microbiome-based strategies aimed at mitigating blow fly–associated disease risks. 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available November 27, 2026