Every year, huge costs (millions of dollars) are paid for the damages that birds cause to humans.
Some of these damages include:
Bird stuck in air conditioning channels.
Bird getting stuck in lines and industrial machines and equipment damage.
Birds getting stuck in pipes and canals cause fires and irreparable damages every year.
Bird droppings quickly turn into ammonia and salt, and due to mixing with rainwater, it accelerates the rusting process of machines.
The destructive effects of bird droppings can cause serious and irreversible damage.
Birds can be carriers of more than 60 types of diseases.
Many fungi and bacteria grow in the feces of birds and are easily transmitted by bird feces.
Some of the diseases that are transmitted by birds to humans are:
1- Histoplasmosis
Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease, the causative agent of which is a type of fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum. Symptoms of the disease include headache, fever, pallor, and respiratory problems.
This disease is seen widely and with much more severe symptoms in people who take immunosuppressive drugs or those suffering from AIDS, cancer, diabetes.
The way to contract this disease is by inhaling the spores of this fungus, which are present in dry feces and are easily spread in the air.
The best way to prevent this disease is to keep the birds away from the place of residence.
2- West Nile virus
West Nile virus, which is a type of virus. This virus can infect birds, humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, ferrets and domestic rabbits.
Mosquitoes are the cause of transmission of this disease. If a mosquito carrying the virus bites a bird, the West Nile virus becomes stronger in the bird’s body, grows and multiplies, and whenever a mosquito bites this sick bird, it becomes infected, and now it can infect other birds and humans. to pollute
Western diphtheria appears in the human body in two forms, mild and acute
Mild West Nile disease: which has an incubation period of 3 to 8 days and is accompanied by symptoms of fever, headache, cold, swollen lymph nodes, diarrhea and vomiting.
Acute West Nile disease: which has a longer incubation period, can be accompanied by the following symptoms
Spinal cord infection, encephalitis, loss of consciousness, coma, retinitis, swelling of the liver, myocarditis, nephritis, swelling of the pancreas, swelling of the spleen, high fever and headache, loss of vision and paralysis.
The best way to avoid contracting this disease is to keep birds away from the place of residence.
3- Salmonellosis
Salmonella is a gram-negative bacillus that causes many infections and poisonings in the human body. This bacterium lives in the feces of birds, especially starlings, sparrows, and pigeons, and the bird feces, after drying and spreading in the air, enters the human respiratory system along with dust.
Salmonellosis disease is seen as severe diarrhea and vomiting with fever and lasts for 5 to 7 days.
The best way to prevent this disease is to keep these birds away from their place of residence.
4- Candidiasis
It is a common infectious disease between humans and birds, and the causative agent of this disease is a type of yeast called Candida. Among the symptoms of this disease, we can mention skin and respiratory infections. This yeast lives in the stratum corneum of birds.
The best way to prevent this disease is to keep the birds away from the place of residence.
5- Cryptococcosis
It is a common fungal disease between humans and birds, which is caused by the entry of Cryptococcus neoformans from the body of birds (especially pigeons) into our respiratory system.
This fungus is similar to yeast and lives in soil contaminated with bird droppings. If the spores of this fungus are inhaled by people, infection may occur in the lungs, or in people with weak immunity, this fungus may enter the blood and spread to all parts of the body (especially to the brain, skin, and bones). This disease is seen as an opportunistic infection in patients with weak immunity, such as: AIDS, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, sarcoidosis, and chemotherapy.
This agent causes three types of diseases in humans:
1. Cutaneous cryptococcosis
2. Pulmonary cryptococcosis
3. Meningeal cryptococcosis of this type is usually the result of spread of infection following pulmonary cryptococcosis and can be fatal.
Symptoms of lung disease are fever, fatigue, dry cough and chest pain. In the most dangerous form of this disease, cryptococcosis can cause meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), the symptoms of such a condition include fever, severe headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness.
The best way to prevent is not to communicate with birds and to keep birds away from the place of residence.
6- St. Louis encephalitis
St. Louis encephalitis or inflammation of the central nervous system that leads to paralysis, coma or death is spread by an infected mosquito that has fed on the blood of a sparrow, pigeon or finch.
The best way to prevent
Avoiding contact with birds and keeping mosquitoes and birds away from your place of residence.
7- chicken mite
Different types of ticks that feed on the blood of birds can be transmitted to humans and feed on humans and cause anemia, itching and night restlessness. Among the common ticks between humans and birds, we can mention: Argas persicos tick or ixodes tick.
To prevent bird ticks, you should avoid direct contact with birds and keep birds away from your place of residence.
Compiled by: Nazanin Bulgari
