被蒼蠅叮過的食物還能吃嗎?

It is the age-old dilemma: Should we throw away our food if a fly lands on it?

這是一個古老的問題：如果一隻蒼蠅落在食物上面，我們應該扔掉這些食物嗎？

The answer is no, according to a lecturer in food hygiene.

一位食品衛生講師認爲答案是不需要。

University of Sydney medical lecturer Cameron Webb advises that if you take the risk of eating it you will probably be fine.

悉尼大學的醫學講師卡梅倫·韋伯認爲，如果你冒着吃它的風險吃掉這些食物，那麼你可能不會發生任何問題。

And while the insects can spread germs, it is unlikely that any germs they transfer onto the food would cause someone to become ill.

雖然蒼蠅能傳播細菌，但它們轉移至食物的所有細菌都會致人患病是不太可能的。

Writing on a blog on the University's website, Dr Webb said: 'In most instances, spotting a fly on your food doesn't mean you need to throw it out,' he wrote.

韋伯教授在大學網站上寫了一篇博客，他說：“在大多數情況下，在你的食物中發現一隻蒼蠅並不意味着你需要扔掉它。”

'While there is little doubt that flies can carry bacteria, viruses and parasites from waste to our food, a single touchdown is unlikely to trigger a chain reaction leading to illness for the average healthy person.'

“雖然毫無疑問，蒼蠅會從垃圾中攜帶細菌，病毒和寄生蟲到我們的食物中，但是簡單的接觸不太可能引發連鎖反應，從而導致健康的人染上疾病。”

Flies are notorious for spreading disease because of their messy habits, Dr Webb said.

韋伯教授表示，蒼蠅是因其凌亂的生活習慣而臭名昭著的。

Webb said flies in the city are typically more hygienic than those in the country who frequently come in contact with dead animals and animal waste.

韋伯還指出，通常而言，城市的蒼蠅要比農村的蒼蠅更"衛生"，因爲後者接觸動物屍體或排泄物的機會更多。