A new study conducted at the University of California Davis has found that some wild bird species can pose a Campylobacter contamination risk to crops. Scientists know that animals and birds can contaminate crops in the field. The study looked at different bird species and the bacteria they can spread. The risk is low but it does exist. The researchers found that birds such as starlings and blackbirds "that flock in large numbers and forage on the ground near cattle are more likely to spread pathogenic bacteria to crops like lettuce, spinach and broccoli." Insect eating birds are less likely to carry the kind of bacteria that make people sick. Campylobacter is the pathogen that these birds carry most often, while bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, which have been linked to … [Read more...]
Bird Droppings Carry Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Cause Food Poisoning
Whenever there is a food poisoning outbreak linked to produce, we have told you that one source of the pathogen may be bird droppings. A new study conducted at Rice University and published in Elsevier journal Environmental Pollution states that bird droppings carry antibiotic resistant bacteria and may "harbor abundant" numbers of the pathogen along with resistance genes. The study was conducted by environmental engineers and led by postdoctoral research associate Pingfeng Yu of Rice's Brown School of Engineering and co-author Pedro Alvarez. Earlier studies showed that bird-borne antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and bacteria can be transferred to humans through these vectors: swimming, contact with bird feces or contaminated soil, and inhaling aerosolized fecal … [Read more...]
