Tag Archives: disease

Birds: Diseases

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Today’s post is a follow up to yesterday’s post about Birds, however it will be about diseases that can be caused by birds and also HOW they can be transmitted to humans from birds.

 

There are over 60 known transmittable diseases that can be passed to humans from birds and their droppings.

 

These diseases can typically be broken down into categories:

  • Bacterial-examples include: salmonella, paratyphoid, vibriosis and listeriosis
  • Viral- examples include: encephalitis, meningitis and newcastle’s Disease
  • Fungal- examples include: histoplasmosis, candidasis and blastomycosis
  • Protozoal- examples include: toxoplasmosis, trichomoniasis and American Typansomiasis

There are 4 ways that birds can pass disease to humans. The first 2 ways are through food and water contaminated with bird feces. This can occur when birds defecate into food and water sources and it does not necessarily have to be direct contact. Food and water sources may be contaminated through airborne particles that are transferred through the air and settle into the sources.

 

The third way is inhalation of fecal dust. This can happen when dried feces becomes airborne microscopic particles that can contain fungi and/or bacterial that when inhaled by humans can cause illness.

 

The fourth way is through direct contact. This is when fecal dust or actual droppings comes in contact with an open sore or wound. If this occurs, it must be cleaned properly and treated, because if left untreated it could potentially lead to Sepsis, which is an infection of blood.

 

Over the rest of the bird series, we’ll be covering some of the more common diseases specifically, so check back for that information.

 

If you are having a problem with birds at your home, cottage or even business/workplace in Midland, Honey Harbour, Port McNicoll, or any other area of our coverage area, contact us at 705-534-7863 or email us today. We are fully trained in bird control methods and IPM. We are also fully licensed to handle other pest control issues.

White nose syndrome

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White Nose Syndrome is a disease named for the distintive fungal growth around the muzzles and on the wings of hibernating bats. It is a poorly understood disease that has been associated with the deaths of more than 5.5 million bats within North America.

 

The first known case of White Nose Syndrome (or WNS)  was in Schoharie County, New York cave back in 2006. Since that time the disease has rapidly spread and as of 2010 was found all over the United States and into Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The first known case of WNS in Ontario was in March 2010.

 

Since being discovered research has been done and in late 2011 it was shown that the syndrome appears to be caused by a fungas called Geomyces destructans. Unfortunately, despite knowing the cause of WNS, there is still no known treatment or means of prevention. Researchers do have a good idea how how the fungus is spread and that is bat-to-bat transmission. In a lab experiment it was shown that direct physical contact was needed in order for the fungus to be spread, however it is also know that the fungus is a cold-loving fungus that grows in cold temperatures of below 20 C and that it will grow on bats while they are hibernating in caves and mines. So this means that not only can bats get the disease just by hibernating, they can also pass it to each other through direct contact.

Bat displaying White Nose Syndrome

 

As a result of this the mortality rate of some species affected by WNS is estimated at at about 95%. In fact, a once common species of bat (the little brown myotis) has in recent years suffered a major population collapse and is headed towards being at risk for a rapid extinction in the Northeastern United States. Should the population continue to decline as it has been, this species of bat could become extinct within 20 years.

 

Currently, there are 9 hibernating bat species confirmed to have the infection and Big Brown Bats, Northern long-eared bats, Tri-colored bats, Eastern small-footed bats and the Indiana bat have also suffered major mortality. In fact, many of these 9 species are listed on the United States endangered species list.

 

In Canada, caves infected with WNS are displaying a 90-100% bat mortality rate and according to a Department of Environmental Conservation survey, there is a 93% decline of Little Brown Bats in 23 caves.

 

So how is White Nose Syndrome killing the bats? Well bats infected with WNS have been known to display odd behaviour such as waking up from hibernation every 3-4 days as opposed to every 12-20 days and are flying outside during the day. The fungus also damages the connective tissues, muscles and skin of the bats while also disrupting their physiological functions. The bats wake up dehydrated and hungry during the cold winters when there are no insects to eat and unfortunately, about 90% of the bats affected perish due to starvation.

 

The impact that WNS is having and with continue to have is serious. Not only are many bat species facing the possibility of extinction, but because bats are the primary predators of night-flying insects and an individual bat can thousands of insects every night, with such a large number of bats dying there are more and more insects being uneaten, which could lead to crop damage. Insect-eating bats are crucial to a healthy ecosystem and bats play a crucial role in maintaining an ecological balance, which is why researchers are spending so much time trying to find a treatment or cure.