Bird Louse Flies spp. (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) as Potential Vectors of Mammalian and Other Pathogens.

Birds and mammals share various ectoparasites, which are responsible for the transmission of a wide range of pathogens. The louse flies (family Hippoboscidae) are ectoparasitic dipterans feeding strictly on the blood of mammals and birds. Both sexes of the louse flies are obligatory hematophagous and are known to act as the vectors of infectious agents. A total of 20 specimens of sp. were collected by hand on birds caught in nets or by hand from humans in two localities in Eastern Slovakia in 2021. The DNA samples were individually screened by species-specific PCRs for the presence of selected vector-borne pathogens. Taxonomic identification folowed by molecular analyses revealed two louse fly species of spp. ( and ). The molecular screening provided negative PCR results for s.l., spp., spp., and . In contrast, positive PCR results were obtained for spp., spp., and . Of epidemiological importance is that the louse flies can presumably spread and other pathogens by host switching which facilitates the transmission and spread of numerous pathogens.