Faecal sludge management with the larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) - From a hygiene aspect

Inadequate and lacking sanitation and wastewater treatment systems can lead to the spreading of diarrhoeal diseases. One contributing factor in the lack of such treatment systems is the lack of economic incentives for stakeholders throughout the service chain. However, the organic fraction of the waste is high in valuable plant nutrients and could be reused in agriculture and as animal feed. For example, grown larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), make an excellent protein source in animal feed, while the feeding activity of the larvae substantially reduces the dry mass of the treated material. This study examined the effect of black soldier fly larvae on the concentration of pathogenic microorganisms in human faeces and found a 6 logic, reduction in Salmonella spp. in human faeces in eight days, compared with a <2 log(10) reduction in the control. No increased reduction was observed for Entero coccus spp., bacteriophage phi X174 or Ascaris suum ova. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.