Bird poop may pose more health risks than people realize, according to Rice University environmental engineers who study antibiotic resistance.
Bird poop may pose more health risks than people realize, according to Rice University environmental engineers who study antibiotic resistance.
Their study found high levels of genes that encode antibiotic resistance harbored by opportunistic pathogens in the droppings of common urban ducks, crows and gulls.
The study led by postdoctoral research associate Pingfeng Yu of Rice’s Brown School of Engineering appears in the Elsevier journal Environmental Pollution. Yu is a member of the lab of civil and environmental engineer and co-author Pedro Alvarez.
Previous studies determined bird-carried antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and bacteria (ARBs) can be transferred to humans through swimming, contact with feces or impacted soil or inhalation of aerosolized fecal particles. Studies have also analyzed bird feces found near ARG hotspots like wastewater treatment plants and drainage from poultry farms.
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Image: Urban crows, ducks and gulls are a potentially important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes, according to Rice University engineers who studied their droppings. CREDIT: Rice University
