Scavenger birds exploiting rubbish dumps: Pathogens at the gates

Abstract

Different bacteria are present in rubbish dumps used as food resources by various bird species. Birds may be good indicators of the presence of zoonotic diseases in these sites since they can be infected with zoonotic pathogens by foraging on organic waste, and can also act as carriers. We studied if foraging in rubbish dumps increases the occurrence of Salmonella spp. and Chlamydia psittaci in American black vultures (Coragyps atratus, hereafter black vultures) from northwest Patagonia. We compared these pathogens isolated from or detected in cloacae and oropharynx swabs in two different groups of black vultures: individuals trapped in (a) the Patagonian wild steppe and (b) in a rubbish dump. We found that black vultures are colonized by Salmonella spp. (particularly Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi, Paratyphi A, Salmonella enterica subsp. arizonae) and Chlamydia psittaci. Interestingly, there were differences in the prevalence of Salmonella spp., especially Salmonella Typhi, between individuals foraging in the rubbish dump and the steppe, but not in the prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci. The pathogens isolated from black vultures may impact their health status but could also have health impacts in other bird species and even humans. In fact, Salmonella Typhi can cause severe disease in humans leading to death. Our results are globally relevant given that bacterial infections from rubbish dumps may affect different species exploiting these sites around the world. There is a need to better control pathogens in rubbish dumps to avoid the risk of infecting wildlife, which could act as potential dispersers and reservoirs of these pathogens.

Implications of bacterial, viral and mycotic microorganisms in vultures for wildlife conservation, ecosystem services and public health

“…2016, Blanco 2018, Blanco & de Tuesta 2018, Plaza et al . 2018), Campylobacter spp. (Molina‐Lopez et al .…”

“…2016), Chlamydia psittaci (Kaleta & Taday 2003, Plaza et al . 2018) and even some Mycobacterium species (Cunha et al . 2017).…”

“…For example, Plaza et al . (2018) isolated Salmonella enterica ser. Typhi and Paratyphi A in American Black Vultures foraging in a rubbish dump in Patagonia, but also in the soil at this site.…”

“…1998, Plaza et al . 2018). Egyptian Vultures sampled in a carcass dump from India showed bacterial species such as P .…”

Comparison of lead contamination among related scavenging birds sharing food sources: a call for caution when using surrogate species

“…It is a species of Least Concern and its population is increasing (IUCN ). This species has large densities of individuals in the study area, especially near urban settlements (Barbar et al ), where they exploit anthropogenic food sources (Ballejo & De Santis , Plaza et al ). Black Vultures roosting close to Villa La Angostura appear to spend most of their foraging time in the rubbish dump, as they are observed there on a daily basis (Plaza & Lambertucci ).…”