Salmonellosis, commonly referred to as Salmonella, is a type of bacteria that can contaminate food and cause food poisoning. Find out why birds cause salmonellosis risk and how to protect yourself from this bacteria.
WHY BIRDS CAUSE SALMONELLOSIS RISK
Salmonellosis contamination can happen during food processing, handling, or pest exposure. Beef, poultry, milk, and eggs are the most frequently infected foods, but produce is also at risk. So why would we be talking about salmonella with regards to birds?
Birds commonly fly into grocery stores and big box stores and are present at many other retailers that have fresh produce and packaged food available. The most common bird present in these stores is the English House Sparrow, which lives primarily near people, feeding off discarded or spilled food.
It has been proven that birds, and the English House Sparrow, in particular, can contain many diseases that may be transmitted to people. Once a bird has either become trapped inside a facility or has decided to live there, salmonella, among many other diseases, becomes a very real risk.
SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION
What makes salmonella particularly difficult is that food contaminated with it usually both looks and smells normal, making contamination hard to detect without special equipment.
Once enough infected food is ingested, symptoms including diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps may occur. These symptoms develop within 12-72 hours of exposure to infected food and usually last for 4-7 days. Symptoms may be severe enough to require hospitalization.
Salmonella is usually treated by managing the symptoms rather than fighting the bacteria itself unless the infection has spread from the intestine to the bloodstream.
HOW DO BIRDS TRANSMIT SALMONELLA?
Birds transmit salmonella in two distinct ways. The first way is through actually eating the bird. This form of transmission is not as common for people as it is for other predators of birds.
The second way is through the birds’ feces. English House Sparrows will excrete where they roost and where they feed. They often stand in old excrement and then carry this with them to the next location they land. This not only poses the risk of spreading salmonella, but their feces also contains pheromones that will attract other house sparrows to the area.
Everywhere the birds walk or land could be a contaminated surface.
ENGLISH HOUSE SPARROWS AND SALMONELLA
Related: Easily Prevent Birds From Nesting
Not only are English House Sparrows the number one bird that inhabits store locations containing produce, but they are also at a higher risk for salmonella than some other birds.
“Finches, House Sparrows, and Cowbirds appear to be especially high at risk” for salmonella.1 Also we have observed that more birds attempt to inhabit facilities during the winter months. This is problematic because “Salmonellosis outbreaks tend to be sporadic in nature, more often occurring during the winter months. It typically affects gregarious seed-eating birds like Greenfinch and House Sparrow”.2
When birds become present inside a facility that contains fresh produce or any other exposed food, they should be removed promptly to reduce the risk of salmonella.
HOW DO I PREVENT SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION FROM BIRDS?
Now that you understand that birds cause salmonellosis risk it is time to find out how to prevent this problem from happening. The best way to avoid a possible contamination situation is through prevention.
If you can prevent the birds from entering your facility you won’t have to worry about salmonella. Meridian Bird Removal can do a full facility inspection to assist you in preventing bird incursions.
If birds do find their way inside your location it is imperative that they are removed quickly. We recommend a live capture and relocation. This method is not only humane but also does not further add to the risk of disease, as shooting them with a pellet rifle can, for example.
Meridian offers a 100% guaranteed interior bird removal service. Our patented system and equipment work in almost any environment, from small buildings to large commercial facilities. We adapt our capture system to your setting without disrupting your operations or customers.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can keep your business bird-free.
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/files/vetmed/schubot/publications/SalmonellosisinWildBirds.pdf
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/disease/salmonellosis