What Diseases Can You Get from Bird and Pigeon Droppings?
Pigeon droppings can carry diseases such as histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, candidiasis, salmonella, and certain strains of E. coli. The highest risk occurs when dried droppings are disturbed and airborne particles are inhaled, especially for people with weakened immune systems or those working around nesting sites.
When it comes to birds, there may be more than just avian flu to be worried about. It has been suggested that there are over 60 other diseases infected birds and their droppings can carry.
How Do Bird Droppings Damage Commercial Facilities and Create Liability?
Birds and their droppings can pose a serious health risk. Bird feces can effect food or water supply, leading to food poisoning. Some risks even come with the potential to become deadly.
Lack of bird control can also cause substantial property damage and liability issues for commercial facilities, particularly those dealing in consumables, such as food processing plants. The most serious health risks arise from disease organisms that can grow in the nutrient-rich accumulations of bird droppings, feathers and debris.
Not only are bird droppings an unsightly mess that can be difficult to remove and cause slip-and-fall accidents, they also harbor numerous human pathogens.
However, just how dangerous are bird droppings to human health? The question seems simple but quantifying a human’s risk of acquiring disease from a bird or its droppings is difficult since exposure to the pathogens does not always result in disease and most bird-related zoonotic diseases are not reportable to health authorities.
Are Dried Bird Droppings More Dangerous Than Fresh Ones?
Yes. People are most at risk when dried bird droppings are swept, scraped, pressure washed, or disturbed during maintenance or construction work. This risk comes from microscopic particles becoming airborne and entering the lungs.
What Are the Most Common Diseases Spread by Bird and Pigeon Droppings?
What Is Histoplasmosis and How Do Bird Droppings Spread It?
Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. It results from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings and in nesting sites. Most people with histoplasmosis never develop symptoms and aren’t aware they’re infected. But for some people, mainly infants and those with weakened immune systems, histoplasmosis can be serious. Treatments are available for even the most severe forms of histoplasmosis.
Can Bird Droppings Cause Candidiasis? What Workers Need to Know
Candidiasis falls under the umbrella of fungal diseases and is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons. The disease affects the skin, the mouth, the respiratory system, the intestines and the urogenital tract.
Cryptococcosis
Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Although, it is unlikely that healthy people will become infected even at high levels of exposure. A major risk factor for infection is a compromised immune system.
What Is Psittacosis (Parrot Fever) and Can You Get It from Pigeons?
Psittacosis, also known as parrot fever, is caused by a bacterium that spreads through inhalation of dried bird droppings or secretions. While it often leads to flu-like symptoms, in severe cases it can develop into pneumonia and require hospitalization. People who work in areas where birds frequently nest face a higher risk.
St. Louis Encephalitis
This disease is spread indirectly through mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. The virus can cause swelling of the brain and nervous system, leading to fever, drowsiness, and, in some cases, paralysis or coma. Although less common, outbreaks highlight the broader risks of allowing birds to gather unchecked.
Can Bird Droppings Contaminate a Food Facility with Salmonella?
Bird droppings can also be a source of Salmonella, the bacteria best known for causing food poisoning. When droppings contaminate food or water supplies, people can experience severe gastrointestinal illness. Facilities dealing with food preparation must be especially cautious to prevent contamination.
E. coli
Certain strains of E. coli bacteria can be carried by birds after they peck at livestock manure. Once released in their droppings, these bacteria pose a serious risk if they find their way into human food or water sources. This makes bird management especially important in agricultural and residential environments.
Bird management should never be taken lightly, for a variety of reasons. When cleanup of an area is required, proper protective equipment should always be used.
How Should Commercial Facilities Handle Bird Dropping Cleanup Safely?
For more information about the health effects of pigeon-related diseases, refer to your physician. If you have any questions regarding the health effects of the removal of pigeon feces, you may contact National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or visit them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bird Droppings and Health Risks
What diseases can you get from pigeon droppings? Pigeon droppings can carry histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, psittacosis, candidiasis, salmonella, and certain strains of E. coli. Risk is highest when dried droppings are disturbed and airborne particles are inhaled.
Are dried bird droppings dangerous? Yes. Dried droppings are more dangerous than fresh ones. When swept, scraped, or pressure washed, microscopic particles become airborne and can enter the lungs. Workers performing maintenance or construction around nesting sites face the highest exposure risk.
Can pigeon droppings make you seriously ill? In some cases, yes. Histoplasmosis can be fatal. Psittacosis can develop into pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Cryptococcosis can affect the central nervous system. Immunocompromised individuals and infants face the greatest risk, but healthy adults are not immune.
How do bird droppings affect businesses? Beyond health liability, droppings can contaminate food and water supplies, create slip-and-fall hazards, and cause structural corrosion. Food processing, agriculture, and water treatment facilities face the most serious regulatory and operational exposure.
What is the safest long-term solution? Prevention is more effective than cleanup. Once droppings accumulate, removal requires proper protective equipment and protocols. Eliminating the bird presence before accumulation occurs removes the health risk at the source. Electromagnetic deterrent systems like the Symterra Pulse prevent roosting and nesting without creating additional hazards from physical removal.
