|
 The growing local foods movement has sparked a rise
in the number of people keeping small flocks of chickens or ducks at
home, and a rise in human infections with Salmonella bacteria has
been linked to birds from mail-order hatcheries, according to a new
study.
"We have seen an increasing number of outbreaks of Salmonella
infections in people being sick that have been linked back to having
chickens and ducks in your backyard," said Dr. Casey Barton
Behravesh, who led the study.
Barton Behravesh, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health
Service, is affiliated with the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne,
and Environmental Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
She and her colleagues reviewed the available research since the
rising infection rates have been in conjunction with the increasing
popularity of having backyard flocks, and it was important for her
team to document the problem, she told Reuters Health.
"Salmonella in poultry, whether we're talking about chickens or
ducks, or even geese or turkeys, go together — its' something that's
a normal germ found in the intestinal tracts of the birds," Barton Behravesh said.
The bacteria don't always make the birds sick, she said, but
Salmonella can coat their feathers and beaks, be present in their
environment and can lead to human illness.
The researchers report that 45 outbreaks of salmonellosis
(Salmonella infection) in humans due to contact with live poultry
were reported from 1996 to 2012. The outbreaks resulted in 1,581
illnesses, 221 hospitalizations and 5 deaths.
"We've seen outbreaks and illnesses occur all year around, although
there is a peak in the spring season and we've really documented
illnesses all across the United States, so it's not a regional
issue," Barton Behravesh said.
It's difficult to know for sure how many people keep backyard
flocks, but the researchers said that a survey of four cities had
found 1 percent of households owned chickens and 4 percent were
planning on buying backyard flocks.
The study team also found that common risk factors for infection
included bringing baby chicks indoors, cleaning the birds' food and
water dishes in the kitchen and kissing or cuddling with the birds,
which are often seen as pets rather than livestock.
Barton Behravesh said most people know that handling raw poultry
meat in the kitchen can be a problem, but many people don't know the
live birds can carry salmonella that can make people sick.
"Most backyard chicken owners are new to this, so it's exciting to
them," said Dr. Jeff Bender, a veterinarian and co-director of the
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the
University of Minnesota. "They view their animals not only as
poultry, but they view them as pets too."
He agrees Salmonella infections are becoming more common among
backyard flock owners.
"From surveys that we've done, we've noticed that not many people
are concerned about Salmonella, influenza, or Campylobacter," Bender
said, adding that's probably because new chicken owners aren't aware
of those diseases, or that live poultry can spread them.
[to top of second column] |
But backyard chicken owners generally are well
educated and most of them are asking questions and getting their
information from the Internet, he said. "We just have
to make sure we provide reputable places that they can go to and
that they feel comfortable using," he said.
The CDC has a tip sheet for keeping backyard poultry here:
http://1.usa.gov/O8ngKs
Prospective buyers of new chicks or poultry should recognize that
the birds can have Salmonella or other diseases, and that hand
washing is important, Bender said.
"Supervision — especially with children — is incredibly important
too," he said.
Most people get their birds from agricultural feed stores or have
them shipped to their homes directly from the hatcheries, and Bender
said the first step is to find a reputable source. "Ideally a
source that has a Salmonella control program or is part of the
National Poultry Improvement Plan, which basically is a plan that
says 'we're trying to raise the healthiest birds possible'," he
said. The next step is to try to keep the birds healthy.
"Make sure they're being fed appropriately and they're not stressed
and they are kept in the right environment," he said.
"There are a lot of benefits of having backyard flocks (and) people
need to know the risks so they can enjoy the birds without getting
sick," Barton Behravesh said.
Additional precautions, the study authors write in the journal
Clinical Infectious Diseases, include keeping birds away from young
children, the elderly or people with immune system problems, and
keeping the birds out of the house or parts of the yard where people
eat or drink.
In addition, all equipment, such as cages and food and watering
containers, should be cleaned and disinfected, but that shouldn't be
done in the house, they write. ___
Source: http://bit.ly/1l6LcZP
Clinical Infectious Diseases, online Feb. 5, 2014.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
