|
157
<br />disease may be divided in four groups of syndromes: 1) infection of the upper
<br />respiratory tract as nasal discharge or conjuntivitis, 2) infection of the lower respiratory
<br />tract as bronchitis or pneumonia, 3) infecton of internal organs as appendicitis or inflam-
<br />mation of the urinary tract, 4) abscessed wound infections. Pigeons can spread the
<br />bacteria through their droppings or nasal discharge. The organism can live as long as a
<br />month in pigeon manure or three months in a dead pigeon.
<br />Salmonellosis is more than food poisoning. Gastroenteritis is the most common
<br />manifestation. Enteric fever or septicemia may follow several weeks later as a relapse.
<br />Septicemias often terminate fatally. Persistent infections are less common but very im-
<br />portant. There may be an abscess or local infection as arthritis, bronchopneumonia, en-
<br />docarditis, meningitis, osteomyelitis, or pyeleonephritis. Pigeons are important in the
<br />spread of salmonellae, since the bacteria are left wherever the pigeons defecate (Willer
<br />1965). They trample back and forth through their copious excretion on window ledges
<br />and air intake vents. Dusts to contaminate food or homes enter through air conditioners
<br />and ventilators. The most common salmonella Isolated from pigeons is Salmonella
<br />typhimurum var. Copenhagen, which is found in about 2% of pigeon feces (Willer
<br />1965).
<br />Yersiniosis is a plague -like disease by Yersinia pseudotuberculosos and Y.
<br />enterocolitica. The disease is clinically indistinguishable from appendicitis. Both
<br />diseases cause fever, nausea, headache, hard and painful stomachs. Because of the
<br />similarity, there were 32 school children hospitalized in Oneida County, New York in
<br />September 1976. Fourteen were reported to have had unnecessary appendectomies.
<br />Y.enterocolitica serotype 8 was isolated from the ill children. It was first isolated from
<br />pigeons in 1916. Transmission may be through the feces, eggs, or ticks of pigeons
<br />(Hubert 1972).
<br />PROTOZOAN diseases include American trypansomiasis, toxoplasmosis, and
<br />trichomoniasis. American trypanosomiasis is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. There is no
<br />vaccine, effective treatment, or cure for the disease. It is transmitted through the feces
<br />of infected triatimid bugs, as the pigeon kissing bug (Triatoma rubrofasciata). The bugs
<br />tend to feed at night while the victim is asleep the bug defecates during or soon after
<br />engorgement, and most human infections occur when the bug feces are rubbed into
<br />eyes or mucous membranes following a bite.
<br />Toxoplasmosis may be one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases in the United
<br />States. It is caused by Toxoplasma gondii. It has been shown to cause abortions in
<br />women (W.J. Schneider, personal communication, 1977). The organism seems to have
<br />an affinity for brain tissue; it may cause mental retardation and death. Pigeons
<br />frequently transmit toxoplasmosis through fecal contamination, respiratory droplets,
<br />eye secretions, contact with infected tissue, or through ectoparasites.
<br />Trichomoniasis is caused by Trichomonas gallinae. It may affect the genital tract.
<br />Pigeons are considered the primary host, with about 80-90% of the adults infected.
<br />VIRAL diseases include encephalitis, meningitis, and Newcastle. Eastern equine
<br />encephalomyelitis (EEE) is the most deadly of the North American arbovirus diseases. It
<br />has been known to cause mental retardation, convulsions, and paralysis. The mortality
<br />rate may be around 60%. Pigeons are considered an amplifying host for the virus
<br />(Fothergill et. al. 1938).
<br />St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) affects the nervous system, ranging from complete
<br />recovery to disorganization, paralysis, coma, and death. The mortality rate is usually
<br />5-10%, in some cases up to 33%. Pigeons, English sparrows, and house finches are the
<br />three birds labeled as main reservoirs of SLE.
<br />West Nile encephalitis ranges from mild to fatal Infections. The virus has been
<br />isolated from pigeons.
<br />Western equine encephalomyelitis is much more present and dangerous than most
<br />people think. The fatality rate has been between 5 and 15%. Children under one year of
<br />age may never recover from an infection of the virus, often becoming total vegetables.
<br />Pigeons are one of the amplifying hosts (W.F. Rathel, personal communication, 1977).
<br />Meningitis causes as inflammation of the brain and its covering. Pigeons are subject
<br />to meningo-encephalitis. Newcastle disease often involves conjunctivitis, lacrimation,
<br />and a mild influenza -like infection. Pigeons are the third largest common carrier; the
<br />virus has been detected in their feces.
<br />CHLAMYDIAL and RICKETTSIAL diseases. Chlamydiosis, caused by Chlamydia psit-
<br />tiaci, is a generalized infectious disease that causes a flu-like respiratory infection with
<br />high fever, severe headache, and generalized aches and pains. Mortality is usually
<br />
|