NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who keep small poultry
flocks may be at an increased risk for salmonellosis, but the
infections are preventable, researchers say.
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
"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
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
"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.
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 February 5, 2014.