A fly on sugar crystals
Colour-enhanced scanning electron micrograph image by Dave McCarthy and Annie Cavanagh
This is a colour-enhanced image of a
housefly (Musca domestica) on sugar crystals. To eat sugar, flies
release enzyme-containing saliva onto it, let it digest, then suck
it all back up. Houseflies are well known for carrying
gastrointestinal diseases such as Salmonella and dysentery, but
they can also spread tuberculosis, anthrax and other major
illnesses through their habit of visiting decaying organic matter
and faeces, as well as humans and their food.