Pigeons are carriers of diseases for humans: what diseases can they infect?

Content

1 Is it possible to get the disease from pigeons?
2 How does infection occur?
3 What diseases do pigeons carry to humans?
4 Preventive actions
5 Conclusion

The idea of doves as symbols of peace arose from the ancient Greek myth of a dove that made a nest in the helmet of the god of war, Mars. In fact, pigeons are not peaceful birds and often kill their weak relatives. But pigeons are not limited to cannibalism. Pigeons are carriers of diseases for humans and are capable of working as biological weapons in the area of which birds are the antipodes, according to myth.

Is it possible to get the disease from pigeons?

Even without direct contact with a pigeon, a person has a non-zero chance of becoming infected with an anthropozoonotic disease, that is, a disease common to animals and people. Many pigeon diseases are transmitted through fecal-contaminated water, food or surfaces. City pigeons defecate while sitting on balcony railings. It is enough not to wash your hands after touching the railings to become infected with one of the diseases of pigeons dangerous to humans. In birds, such diseases cannot be treated. Antibiotics can help people. But some of the diseases carried by pigeons are difficult to cure.Such diseases of pigeons manage to leave irreparable damage in the human body.

How does infection occur?

Many contagious diseases of pigeons are transmitted in the “traditional” way. That is, pigeon droppings contaminate water and food. In the summer, pigeons trample on the windowsill, starting fights and raising dust. Windows are usually open for ventilation. Dust and particles of droppings raised by pigeons fly into the apartment and end up in open containers with food products. In this way, human infection occurs through the gastrointestinal tract.

One of the most dangerous diseases for humans in pigeons, which causes a cough similar to a cold, is transmitted by air. This is ornithosis. It is often called “parrot disease”, since it can be contracted not only from pigeons, but also from domestic ornamental birds.

Another way of contracting diseases in pigeons is through blood-sucking parasites. Ixodid ticks, famous for their ability to transmit encephalitis, also parasitize pigeons. In addition to tick-borne encephalitis, ticks can be carriers of other diseases of pigeons. Pigeon bugs are also capable of transmitting diseases to pigeons. The difference between the parasites is that a tick can fall off a pigeon at any time and fall onto the floor of a balcony or apartment, while bedbugs live in pigeon nests.

What diseases do pigeons carry to humans?

Most diseases transmitted to humans from pigeons are caused not by viruses, but by bacteria and protozoa. But since the pathogens that cause diseases in pigeons are specific, one person gets sick. Pigeon diseases cannot be transmitted from person to person. The exception is psittacosis, which can infect the whole family. Typically, the source of infection in a “mass” disease is a recently purchased parrot.If no one brought home a sick pigeon.

Attention! Psittacosis is a disease that can be transmitted from person to person.

It is very easy to bring a sick pigeon home. Fledgling pigeons cannot fly fully. People catch little pigeons out of pity. At best, they put you higher, but there has already been contact. At worst, they bring pigeons home. You can meet an adult flightless pigeon. Many people think that the pigeon was damaged by a cat and try to cure the bird at home. But the flightless adult pigeon is sick. And the third option is a nest of pigeons on the balcony: the diseases that pigeons carry are hidden in birds and are “activated” in the human body. A nest of pigeons on the balcony is not a joy and not a “good omen: someone will soon get married”, but a potential source of diseases that pigeons carry:

psittacosis;
salmonellosis;
campylobacteriosis;
listeriosis;
tularemia;
cryptococcosis;
toxoplasmosis;
Newcastle disease.

Against the background of these diseases, such a “trifle” as an allergy to feather scales falling from pigeons can be ignored. Not everyone is allergic to pigeons.

Psittacosis

Less known than leptospirosis is an acute infectious disease of birds. The disease is caused by chlamydia of the species Chlamydia psittaci. In pigeons, psittacosis is often asymptomatic, but sometimes progresses to the clinical stage. The main symptom of the disease is the pigeon’s complete lack of fear of humans. The pigeon does not try to avoid contact. The pigeon's plumage is often ruffled, and serous-purulent discharge from the eyes is also present. You cannot feel sorry for such a pigeon or contact it.

Comment! It is better not to contact pigeons at all.

The causative agent of psittacosis persists in the external environment for up to 3 weeks.An apparently healthy pigeon transmits the disease by releasing chlamydia into the external environment along with its droppings. When it enters the human body along with dust, the bacterium penetrates into the cells, where it develops. The appearance of the first symptoms of the disease depends on the place where chlamydia has penetrated. Psittacosis affects:

lungs;
CNS;
liver;
spleen

In humans, the disease usually begins with damage to the respiratory system, since this is the main route of transmission of psittacosis from birds to people.

Comment! You can also become infected by accidentally getting bird saliva into your mouth or inhaling fluff particles.

Psittacosis in humans is quite severe and can cause serious complications. There are two forms of the disease: acute and chronic. Acute is the most common form when infected from a pigeon or other bird. The incubation period lasts from 6 to 14 days. Begins as a lung infection:

sudden increase in temperature to 39 ° C;
headache;
runny nose;
stuffy nose;
general weakness;
muscle pain;
decreased appetite;
sore and dry throat.

After another couple of days, a dry cough develops and chest pain appears, which gets worse when you inhale. Later, the dry cough turns into a wet cough with sputum production.

If the signs of ornithosis were mistaken for a manifestation of more common respiratory diseases: pneumonia, bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, the treatment will be prescribed incorrectly, and chlamydia will have time to penetrate the blood, causing damage to the internal organs and the central nervous system.

The chronic form of the disease is characterized by damage to the adrenal glands, central nervous system and swelling of the liver and spleen.Since chlamydia poisons the body with waste products, the patient experiences constant intoxication with a consistently high temperature of up to 38 °C and signs of bronchitis. The chronic form can last more than 5 years.

The acute form can be typical with the development of pneumonia and atypical, in which meningitis, meningopneumonia and ornithosis develop without lung damage. The disease can be treated, but it is a long and complex process. Therapy with specific antibiotics is required for 2-3 months. Immunity after recovery does not last long and repeated cases of the disease are likely.

Complications

Psittacosis is also dangerous due to the development of diseases leading to death: acute heart failure and thrombophlebitis. Hepatitis and myocarditis also develop. With secondary infections, purulent otitis and neuritis are observed. Pregnant women experience abortion.

Comment! Fatalities have been recorded in cases of ornithosis.

Salmonellosis

The most “famous” disease of birds, which is transmitted even through chicken eggs. It is also the main disease transmitted to humans by pigeons. The prevalence of salmonellosis is explained by the fact that chicks become infected while still in the egg. In pigeons, salmonellosis often occurs without external signs. A sick female lays already infected eggs. Clinical signs of the disease appear if the pigeon weakens for one reason or another.

Salmonellosis is transmitted through droppings and direct contact with a sick pigeon. In humans, Salmonella is localized in the small intestine, causing gastrointestinal diseases.

The incubation period for salmonellosis can be from 6 hours to 3 days. Most often, the latent period lasts 12-24 hours.The course of the disease can be acute or latent. In the first case, the symptoms of the disease are well expressed; in the second case, a person may not even be aware of the infection, being a carrier of salmonella and infecting others.

After colonizing the small intestine, multiplied salmonella release a toxin that poisons the body. Signs of intoxication:

loss of water through the intestinal walls;
disturbance of blood vessel tone;
dysfunction of the central nervous system.

Externally, salmonellosis is expressed as a gastrointestinal disease. Salmonellosis is often confused with severe poisoning caused by spoiled foods:

vomit;
nausea;
elevated temperature;
headache;
general weakness;
severe intestinal upset, expressed in loose, watery stools;
abdominal pain.

Severe diarrhea causes the body to become dehydrated. As a result of exposure to toxins, the liver and spleen increase in size. Kidney failure may develop.

With timely diagnosis and proper treatment, salmonellosis goes away within 10 days. Antibiotics of the penicillin group and fluoroquinolones are used for treatment.

Campylobacteriosis

One of the diseases that are asymptomatic in pigeons, but in humans causes serious damage to almost all body systems.

The disease also refers to intestinal infections. Campylobacter enters the human intestinal tract through food and water contaminated by pigeons. Young children who do not have strong immunity are especially affected. In children under 1 year of age, campylobacter can cause sepsis.

Since children love to put their fingers in their mouths, a child only needs to touch a railing contaminated by pigeons to become infected with campylobacteriosis. The disease is very variable in its manifestations and is easily confused with other diseases.

Attention! Campylobacteriosis can often be asymptomatic.

Development of the disease

The incubation period lasts 1-2 days. After this, signs of the flu appear, which deceive most parents:

headache;
fever;
myalgia;
malaise;
temperature rise to 38 °C.

This condition lasts for 24-48 hours. This period is called prodromal, that is, immediately preceding the disease.

After the prodromal period, symptoms of a real disease related to intestinal infections appear:

nausea;
vomit;
severe abdominal pain;
severe diarrhea, stool becomes foamy, liquid and foul-smelling;
Possible dehydration due to diarrhea.

2 days after the onset of symptoms of the present disease, signs of colitis appear. Abdominal pain becomes cramping in nature, often simulating the picture of appendicitis with symptoms of peritonitis.

Attention! In children under one year of age, the clinical picture of campylobacteriosis resembles cholera.

Treatment of the intestinal form of the disease is carried out with erythromycin and fluoroquinolones. Extraintestinal – tetracycline or gentamicin. The prognosis for the disease is usually favorable, but in young children and people with immunodeficiency it can be fatal.

Listeriosis

It is more difficult to contract listeriosis from pigeons than other diseases, but it is not impossible. Listeria monocytogenes is interesting because its natural primary reservoir is soil. From there it gets into the plants. And only then does it “move” into herbivores. People most often become infected with listeriosis by consuming contaminated food and water.

There are no obvious ways of contracting listeriosis from a pigeon, but again we need to remember the problem of unwashed hands.The most favorable environment for the proliferation of listeria is the top layer of silage. This is how livestock and country pigeons become infected with bacteria.

At first glance, listeriosis has nothing to do with city pigeons. But there are city landfills with rotting food waste that are an excellent substitute for silage. The pigeon is an almost omnivorous bird. After walking through the waste, the pigeon itself becomes infected and becomes a mechanical carrier of bacteria. Pigeons can fly long distances. Having eaten at the landfill, pigeons return to the roofs, balconies and window sills of houses, becoming carriers of the disease. The transmission of listeriosis to people here becomes a matter of technology.

The disease in pigeons usually has a latent course. Listeriosis openly manifests itself in weakened pigeons. Since listeria attacks the nervous system, obvious clinical signs mean that the pigeon is already dying. In this case, listeriosis can already be transmitted directly from the pigeon to humans through contact.

Listeria usually enters the human body through the gastrointestinal tract. The disease begins as an intestinal infection. The further development of symptoms depends on the location of the listeria colony.

Comment! In a healthy person, Listeria infection often goes unnoticed and appears only when the immune system is weakened.

Symptoms of listeriosis

Risk groups for listeriosis:

children under one year old;
pregnant women;
adults over 55 years of age;
patients with diabetes, cancer or HIV;
undergoing treatment with corticosteroids.

Listeria infection of the central nervous system can lead to meningitis and encephalitis. Deaths due to listeriosis have also been reported.

The incubation period lasts from several days to several weeks. Sometimes it can last for several months.During this time, a person manages to forget about contact with pigeons and is unaware of the infection. Due to the wide variability of symptoms, an accurate diagnosis is established in the laboratory and no earlier than 2 weeks from the date of sample collection. You need to start treatment as early as possible. In total there are 10-18 forms of the disease.

Acute:

chills;
headache;
muscle and joint pain;
after 3 weeks, enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes;
the appearance of a red rash on the body with the formation of a “butterfly” on the face and thickening of papules in the joint area;

Visceral:

fever;
enlarged and painful lymph nodes;
constipation;
catarrhal tonsillitis;
enlarged spleen and liver;

Glandular;

increased sweating;
chills;
fever;
enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and liver;
sometimes cervical lymphadenitis and sore throat;
very rarely eye damage;

Nervous:

headache;
chills;
fever;
impaired skin sensitivity;
convulsions;
rave;
disturbance of consciousness;
mental disorders;
drooping eyelids;
different pupil sizes;

Mixed:

pain in joints and muscles;
fever;
headache;
enlarged spleen, liver and lymph nodes;
angina;
vague neurological signs are present;

Chronic: asymptomatic; sometimes manifests itself as flu; dangerous for pregnant women, as the fetus can become infected.

With listeriosis, pregnant women do not have a clearly defined pattern of symptoms. Only shortly before childbirth, the disease may manifest itself with chills, fever and muscle pain. Sometimes tonsillitis and purulent conjunctivitis develop. Termination of pregnancy is recommended.

In newborns, listeriosis is severe. With intrauterine infection, the child is born still or premature.In the latter case, the child's death occurs within 2 weeks. If infected during childbirth, the disease manifests itself after 7-14 days:

dyspnea;
fever;
stuffy nose;
lethargy;
lethargy;
bluish skin;
rash on arms and legs;
liver enlargement;
possible development of jaundice;
sometimes convulsions and paralysis develop.

Listeriosis responds better to treatment at an early stage, which is usually missed. Antibiotics of the penicillin and tetracycline groups are prescribed. Treatment lasts 2-3 weeks.

Attention! The prognosis for the nervous form of listeriosis is hopeless.

Tularemia

A disease of pigeons that a person can become infected without having contact with a pigeon. It is enough for pigeons to build a nest on the balcony. Francisella tularensis bacteria are transmitted:

upon contact with animals;
through contaminated food and water;
by air when inhaling dust from grain crops;
blood-sucking parasites.

The natural reservoir for bacteria is small wild animals. Pigeon bugs, when they lose their host, look for a new source of food. If the pigeon was sick, a parasite crawling into the house from the nest can transmit the disease to people.

In Russia, tularemia is widespread. There is no point in counting on a favorable epidemiological situation in the region. Suffice it to recall the “accusation” of the USSR of using tularemia near Moscow as a bacteriological weapon during the Second World War. But no one applied anything; sick mice came to bask in human housing. At that moment the Germans were in the houses.

The incubation period usually lasts 3-7 days. It may last up to 21 days or the first signs may appear only a few hours after infection. There are several forms of the disease:

bubonic: penetration through the skin;
conjunctival-bubonic: damage to the mucous membrane of the eye;
ulcerative-bubonic: an ulcer at the site of infection;
anginal-bubonic: damage to the mucous membranes of the tonsils due to oral infection;
broncho-pneumonic with bronchitis and pneumonic course;
abdominal (intestinal): found in winter and autumn;
generalized (primary septic): occurs with signs of general intoxication of the body.

The disease begins with a rise in temperature to 40 °C. The temperature rises suddenly, without any preliminary signs. Next appear:

dizziness;
Strong headache;
loss of appetite;
muscle pain in the legs, back and lower back;
in severe cases, nosebleeds and vomiting are added.

Sweating, insomnia, or drowsiness are common with tularemia. Against the background of high temperature, increased activity and euphoria may occur. In the first days of the disease, swelling and redness of the face are noted, and conjunctivitis develops. Later, hemorrhages appear on the oral mucosa. Tongue with a gray coating.

Attention! Tularemia is characterized by enlarged lymph nodes ranging in size from a pea to a walnut.

Depending on the form of the disease, there may be other signs characteristic of a particular type of disease.

Tularemia is treated with antibiotics for 2 weeks. Relapses or specific complications of the disease are possible.

Pseudotuberculosis

Second name: Far Eastern scarlet fever. Mammals and birds suffer from pseudotuberculosis. The disease is poorly studied. The main route of infection is contaminated food. The likelihood of the pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis getting from a pigeon into human food is low, but it cannot be ruled out.

Pigeons with pseudotuberculosis are immediately noticeable. The pigeons are depressed, with ruffled plumage. The pigeon's breathing is difficult and the head position is abnormal.

Attention! Pigeon owners are at greatest risk of infection.

Treatment for pseudotuberculosis in pigeons has not been developed. Sick pigeons are immediately destroyed. Owners of expensive pigeons try to treat sick birds on their own using antibiotics, endangering not only themselves, but also those around them.

Symptoms of pseudotuberculosis in humans

In humans, pseudotuberculosis occurs as an acute intestinal infection. The most common localized form, which occurs in 80% of cases of this disease:

temperature up to 39 °C;
headache;
vomit;
chills;
stomach ache;
myalgia;
weakness;
diarrhea up to 12 times a day;
the stool is foul-smelling, foamy, and brown-green in color. If the colon is affected, the feces may contain mucus and blood.

Possible joint damage, rash and signs of hepatitis.

In the arthralgic form, rheumatism is often mistakenly diagnosed. With this form of the disease, there may be no diarrhea and vomiting, but there is joint pain, gastrointestinal damage and a rash.

The generalized form begins with a temperature of 38-40 °C, weakness and vomiting. Further, conjunctivitis develops, the liver and spleen enlarge. After 2-3 weeks, a rash appears on the extremities. From the 4th week, self-healing begins, with peeling of the skin at the site of the rash.

The septic form of the disease develops in people with immunodeficiency: temperature up to 40 °C, chills, sweating, anemia. This form of the disease lasts from several months to a year. Lethal outcomes reach 80%.

Pseudotuberculosis is treated with antibiotics.Patients are prescribed a special diet.

Tuberculosis

The chances of contracting tuberculosis from a pigeon are much higher than getting scarlet fever. In pigeons, tuberculosis occurs in a chronic form with vague signs. Nobody tracks the main symptoms in the form of decreased egg production and exhaustion in pigeons. The presence of tuberculosis in a pigeon can be suspected by lameness and a tumor-like formation on the sole of the paw. Tuberculosis is not treated in any type of domestic animal, since this disease is included in the list of dangerous ones.

In any big city there is a place for a pigeon to become infected with tuberculosis. Then the pigeon can transmit it to a person. Symptoms of tuberculosis in humans:

prolonged cough with sputum;
low-grade fever for a long time;
weakness;
decreased appetite;
night sweats;
weight loss.

In humans, tuberculosis manifests itself with a general weakening of the immune system, but when confronted with an active Koch bacillus, even a person without health problems can get sick.

Treatment of tuberculosis requires a long time and an integrated approach. It is better to carry it out in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor.

Cryptococcosis

Pigeons cannot tolerate cryptococcosis. But the disease is caused by the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. These fungi grow on bird droppings. They are usually isolated from the droppings and nests of pigeons. Fungi may be present in soil contaminated or fertilized with droppings. Cryptococci are also isolated from mammalian droppings. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. The route of transmission is dust in the air.

Attention! The disease is more common in men.

The disease develops in people with reduced immunity. This is typical for any mold and yeast.People with HIV are most susceptible to the disease. Cryptococcosis can occur in 3 forms:

Pulmonary: asymptomatic or with fever, hemoptysis and cough with sputum;

Disseminated, which is usually recorded in patients with immunodeficiency. Affected:

kidneys;
adrenal glands;
eyes;
heart;
prostate;
bones;
lymph nodes;
Painless formations on the skin may occur;

Cryptococcal meningitis:

in the initial stage asymptomatic;
dizziness;
fever;
headache;
epileptic seizures;
visual impairment.

The pulmonary form is observed in 30% of those infected with cryptococcosis. Treatment with intravenous injections of antifungal drugs lasts 1.5-2.5 months.

Attention! An overdose of medications can lead to damage to the kidney membrane or kidney failure.

But lack of treatment will lead to death.

Toxoplasmosis

The disease is caused by a single-celled parasite. Both mammals and birds get sick. The routes of infection in the wild have been little studied. It is believed that pigeons become infected with parasites by eating contaminated food.

A person can become infected directly from a pigeon. The disease in pigeons occurs with obvious clinical signs and few people dare to handle a sick pigeon. During the acute period of the disease, the pigeon walks in circles, has convulsions, an unsteady gait, and refuses to feed. Only 50% of pigeons survive the acute stage. In surviving pigeons, toxoplasmosis enters a chronic stage with periodic release of pathogens into the external environment through droppings.

A chronically ill pigeon carries the disease itself and can serve as a source of food for other vectors: blood-sucking parasites. Ticks and bedbugs also carry Toxoplasma.

In humans, toxoplasmosis can be congenital or acquired. In adults, the acquired disease is usually so mild that they are not even aware of it. But sometimes toxoplasmosis becomes acute or chronic.

Acute course may be;

typhus-like: high fever, enlarged liver and spleen;
with damage to the central nervous system: headache, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis.

More often, a chronic form is observed with a slightly elevated temperature, headache and enlargement of the liver and lymph nodes. This form may also be accompanied by damage to other internal organs, eyes and the central nervous system.

The disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women and newborns. A child can get the congenital form if the mother is infected. Very often the fetus or newborn dies. Survivors experience damage to the central nervous system, various organs, and severe mental retardation.

Treatment of the disease is required for people with reduced immunity. A course of antibacterial drugs is used.

Newcastle disease

The only one of all pigeon diseases transmitted to humans, the causative agent of which is a virus. Almost all birds get sick, but pheasants are the most susceptible. A pigeon can transmit Newcastle disease to humans through close contact. The virus causes mild conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms in humans. This disease of pigeons does not pose a danger to human health.

Preventive actions

Prevention of diseases carried by pigeons involves reducing contact with these birds and their waste products. Ideally, do not contact them at all:

do not feed;
do not pick up pigeons on the street;
do not allow pigeons to build a nest on the balcony;
discourage pigeons from window sills and balcony railings;
Maintain personal hygiene and wash your hands frequently.

It is advisable to have a preventive conversation with neighbors who feed pigeons.

Conclusion

The pigeons that have bred in the city and are carriers of human diseases can cause significant problems for the population. It is not only necessary to control the number of pigeons by city authorities. Residents also need to take care of their children. Do not feed pigeons. Reducing the food supply automatically reduces the number of pigeons without human effort.