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$2.1 million project investigates how feeding wildlife spreads disease
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The National Science Foundation’s Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program is funding a $2.1 million project that will study how birds can spread diseases to humans who feed them in public parks, according to a press release.
Researchers from the University of Georgia hypothesized that flocks of birds are growing in urban areas and are becoming less active as more people feed them items such as bread, fast-food and popcorn in public parks. The shift toward more sedentary behavior could lead to a build-up of pathogens transmitted through feces, increasing the risk for disease transmission from birds to humans.
The current 5-year study will focus on the effects of people feeding white ibises in Palm Beach County, Florida, where researchers have been monitoring the birds since 2010.
“In a previous study, and using molecular typing methods, we found that the strains of Salmonella bacteria that white ibises are infected with are the same that some people get sick from, particularly in Florida,” Sonia Hernandez, PhD, associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Veterinary Medicine, said in the release. “Because white ibises move from urban to natural environments readily, they might be responsible for moving these strains around over large distances.”
The researchers will conduct field sampling on a quarterly basis for 2 years to estimate the birds’ population size and collect blood and feces specimens to determine the prevalence of Salmonella infections. The findings could be applied to other wildlife species such as mallard ducks, gulls and other common city birds that are reservoirs of disease.
“We also hope these studies will inform good practices by which people can continue to enjoy encounters with wildlife in their backyards and cities, for example by developing good practices for bird feeder hygiene, what kinds of food to provide and knowing when to put up — and take down — feeders,” Richard Hall, PhD, MSc, assistant research scientist at Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, said in the release.
Disclosure: Infectious Disease News was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.