Objectives To know the status of pathogens carried by cockroaches in different habitats of Changzhou and provide scientific basis for prevention and control of diseases caused by the spread of biological media.

Methods Cockroaches were captured through a bottle trap method and related pathogens were isolated; and then the species and quantity of pathogens carried by Blattella germanica, periplaneta fuliginosa were investigated.

Results There were 25 groups of pathogens detected from the surface and 26 groups of pathogens detected in vivo in 26 groups of cockroaches captured from different habitats, with a detection rate of 96.2% and 100% respectively. The pathogens mainly included escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, salmonella, shigella, hemolytic streptococcus pneumoniae, klebsiella pneumoniae, hepatitis B, and ascaris eggs.The species of pathogen in cockroaches captured from hospitals were the most, those captured from farm product markets were the next and from households were the lowest.The detection rate of cockroaches carrying pathogens was the highest in hospitals, and that was the next in farm product markets. The detection rate in different habitats was significantly different from each other (χ² equal to 11.91, P less than 0.05).

Conclusions The situation of pathogens carried by cockroaches was serious in the city. There existed a higher risk of spreading vector-borne diseases. Efforts should be enhanced to control cockroaches.