Carriage and Subtypes of Foodborne Pathogens Identified in Wild Birds Residing near Agricultural Lands in California: a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Autor: Trevor V. Suslow, Peiman Aminabadi, A. Gwinn, S. Wright, Michele T. Jay-Russell, Nora Navarro-Gonzalez
Přispěvatelé: University of California [Davis] (UC Davis), University of California, Biologie, Epidémiologie et analyse de risque en Santé Animale (BIOEPAR), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Sacramento City College (SCC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
0106 biological sciences
Serotype
Salmonella
Food Safety
[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]
Wildlife
medicine.disease_cause
01 natural sciences
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
California
Produce
Foodborne Diseases
fluids and secretions
Prevalence
O157:H7
Escherichia coli Infections
2. Zero hunger
0303 health sciences
Ecology
Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli
Transmission (medicine)
Public and Environmental Health Microbiology
STEC
Feather
visual_art
visual_art.visual_art_medium
Biotechnology
Farms
Zoology
Cattle Diseases
Animals
Wild
Biology
Escherichia coli O157
Serogroup
010603 evolutionary biology
Birds
03 medical and health sciences
medicine
Animals
Feces
Salmonella Infections
Animal
030306 microbiology
business.industry
Bird Diseases
Habitat conservation
15. Life on land
Food safety
Cross-Sectional Studies
13. Climate action
Cattle
business
Food Science
Zdroj: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, 2020, 86 (3), pp.e01678-19. ⟨10.1128/AEM.01678-19⟩
ISSN: 0099-2240
1098-5336
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01678-19⟩
Popis: The shedding dynamics of foodborne pathogens by wild birds on farmland are not well characterized. This yearlong study sampled wild birds for foodborne pathogens within agricultural lands in northern California. There was a low prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (prevalence, 0.34% to 0.50%) identified in bird populations in this study. However, pathogens of public health importance (such as Salmonella Newport, E. coli O157:H7, and STEC O103 and O26) were identified in fecal samples, and two birds carried STEC on their feet or feathers. Identical pathogen strains were shared episodically among birds and between wild geese and free-range cattle. This result suggests a common source of contamination in the environment and potential transmission between species. These findings can be used to assess the risk posed by bird intrusions in produce fields and enhance policy decisions toward the comanagement of food safety and farmland habitat conservation.
Current California agricultural practices strive to comanage food safety and habitat conservation on farmland. However, the ecology of foodborne pathogens in wild bird populations, especially those avian species residing in proximity to fresh produce production fields, is not fully understood. In this repeated cross-sectional study, avifauna within agricultural lands in California were sampled over 1 year. Feces, oral swabs, and foot/feather swabs were cultured for zoonotic Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and characterized by serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Of 60 avian species sampled, 8 species (13.3%, bird groups of sparrows, icterids, geese, wrens, and kinglets) were positive for at least one of these foodborne pathogens. At the individual bird level, the detection of foodborne pathogens was infrequent in feces (n = 583; 0.5% Salmonella, 0.34% E. coli O157:H7, and 0.5% non-O157 STEC) and in feet/feathers (n = 401; 0.5% non-O157 STEC), and it was absent from oral swabs (n = 353). Several subtypes of public health importance were identified, including Salmonella enterica serotype Newport, E. coli O157:H7, and STEC serogroups O103 and O26. In late summer and autumn, the same STEC subtype was episodically found in several individuals of the same and different avian species, suggesting a common source of contamination in the environment. Sympatric free-range cattle shared subtypes of STEC O26 and O163 with wild geese. A limited rate of positive detection in wild birds provides insights into broad risk profile for contamination considerations but cannot preclude or predict risk on an individual farm. IMPORTANCE The shedding dynamics of foodborne pathogens by wild birds on farmland are not well characterized. This yearlong study sampled wild birds for foodborne pathogens within agricultural lands in northern California. There was a low prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7, and non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (prevalence, 0.34% to 0.50%) identified in bird populations in this study. However, pathogens of public health importance (such as Salmonella Newport, E. coli O157:H7, and STEC O103 and O26) were identified in fecal samples, and two birds carried STEC on their feet or feathers. Identical pathogen strains were shared episodically among birds and between wild geese and free-range cattle. This result suggests a common source of contamination in the environment and potential transmission between species. These findings can be used to assess the risk posed by bird intrusions in produce fields and enhance policy decisions toward the comanagement of food safety and farmland habitat conservation.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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