Flies in hospital wards may be spreading drug-resistant bacteria to patients

Flies may pick up infections from faeces, which they eat, then spread them to patients, hospital surfaces and food, researchers say. Photograph: Courtesy of Ineos Oxford Institute

Flies buzzing between beds may be spreading drug-resistant bugs among patients in hospitals, according to new research.

Researchers from the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) found that houseflies in Nigerian hospitals carry bacteria resistant to some key antibiotics, including those used only as a last resort.