Table 4.
List of diseases/pathogens transmitted by edible insects.
| Vector | Pathogen group | Type of pathogen | Pathology notes | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crickets | Bacteria | Acinetobacter, Enterococcus | Water- or food-borne disease in humans | (109) |
| Crickets | Bacteria | Bacillus cereus | listed as biologically hazardous in edible insects | (111) |
| Crickets and locust | Gordiidae | Intestinal parasites | (114) | |
| Crickets and locusts | Fungi | Nosema spp. | Decrease dry matter consumption, increase mortality in mass-reared insect colonies and reduce profitability | |
| Cockroaches | Protozoans | Gregarine spp.; Nyctotherus spp. | Deprive insects of nutrients and compromise the immune system, reproduction and lifespan | |
| Cockroaches | Nematode | Thelastoma spp.; Hammerschmidtiella diesigni (Hammerschmidt) | Lower fat content of insect body | |
| Crickets and locusts | – | Steinernema spp. | Have a special structure for storing the bacteria. Once inside the insect’s body, the bacteria are released that produce toxins, which kill the insect. | |
| Mealworms, house crickets, cockroaches and locusts | Protozoans | Cryptosporidium spp. | Cause chronic diarrhoea in reptiles | |
| Mealworms, house crickets, cockroaches and locusts | Protozoans | Isospora spp. | Cause isosporiasis in both immunosuppressed humans and in animals who ingest oocytes | |
| Mealworms, cockroaches and locusts | Protozoans (Ciliates) | Balantidium spp. | Can cause balantidiasis in humans and animals | (17) |
| Mealworms, cockroaches and locusts | Amoeboids | Entamoeba spp. (E. histolytica and E. invadens) | Can cause dysentery in humans, animals, reptiles, and amphibians | (17) |
| Mealworms, house crickets, cockroaches and locusts | – | Cestoda | Colonize insects and aids in transmitting tapeworms to birds, insectivorous animals, and humans | (110) |
| Mealworms and cockroaches | Nematodes | Pharyngodon spp. | Colonize wild and captive animals, e.g., lizards | |
| Mealworms, house crickets, cockroaches and locusts | Nematodes | Physaloptera spp. | Influence insect behavior | |
| Mealworms and cockroaches | – | Spiruroidea | Colonize mainly animals, but can also infec thumans who consume infected intermediate hosts | |
| Mealworms and cockroaches | Thorny-headed worms | Acanthocephala | Decreases immune reactivity in cockroaches. Can compromise glycogen and lipid levels in crustaceans | |
| Cockroaches | Arthropods | Pentastomida | Causes pentastomiasis in wild and captive reptiles | |
| Black soldier fly larvae/rearing substrates | Bacteria | Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Enterococcus | Could be pathogenic to livestock fed contaminated feed supplements (larval meal) | (112) |
| Frass of black soldier fly larvae | Phytopathogenic fungi | Cercospora | Cause irregular and unhealthy leaf appearance in lettuce plants | (113) |