Regular nonsporing Gram-positive rods Mycobacteriaceae

Public Health Significance of Urban Pests Birds 253 252 from those isolated from human beings De Herdt et al., 1995. Another streptococcus, of group C, was isolated from great tits and common starlings Jennings, 1955–1957, 1959. However, no S. bovis infections of people have been reported as attributable to, or directly associated with, urban birds.

8.2.2.8. Regular nonsporing Gram-positive rods

8.2.2.8.1. Listeria Listeria monocytogenes , the etiological agent of listeriosis, can cause sporadic septic cases of the disease even in wild birds, such as common starlings and European robins Macdonald, 1968; McDiarmid, 1969. Faecal samples from synanthropic gulls that fed at Scottish sewage works had a higher rate of carriage of the infectious agent 15 than those species that fed elsewhere 4; the infection rate of rooks was generally lower 6 Fenlon, 1985. Also, gulls may play a significant role in contaminating silage with mem- bers of the genus Listeria. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from healthy synanthropic collared doves and house sparrows in the Czech Republic Treml et al., 1993 and from roosting starlings in Switzerland Odermatt et al., 1998; Gautsch et al., 2000. However, no infections of people have been reported as attributable to, or directly associated with, urban birds. 8.2.2.8.2. Erysipelothrix Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae , the etiological agent of erysipeloid in man, which is a locali- zed, self-limited cutaneous lesion, can cause epornitics and even mass mortality in water- birds. Other cases have included gulls in Denmark, pigeons, wild ducks and thrushes in Germany, and starlings in the United States Faddoul, Fellows Baird, 1968; Macdonald, 1968; McDiarmid, 1969. However, no E. rhusiopathiae infections of people have been reported as attributable to, or directly associated with, urban birds.

8.2.2.9. Mycobacteriaceae

Mycobacterium avium causes tuberculosis mycobacteriosis in many wild avian species, including synanthropic columbiforms, sparrows, corvids, gulls and anatids Plum, 1942; Mitchell Duthie, 1950; Jennings, 1955–1957, 1959; Keymer, 1958; Jennings, 1961; Brickford, Ellis Moses, 1966; ˇSvrˇcek et al., 1966; Blackmore Keymer, 1969; McDiarmid, 1969; Davis, et al., 1971; Schaefer et al., 1973; Baker, 1977; Wobeser, 1997; Smit et al., 1987; Hejlíˇcek Treml, 1993a–c. It is one of the most widespread wild avian infections, often resulting in a marked weight loss, severe muscle atrophy and death. Some synanthropic birds such as wood pigeons in England, house sparrows and rooks elsewhere could be carriers of M. avium and could play a role in the spread of avian tuberculosis to poultry and domestic animals Kubín Matˇejka, 1967. Plum 1942 exa- mined 1000 house and tree sparrows from 40 farms in Denmark and found M. avium in 9 of them; tuberculous lesions were present in 2 of the birds. Several strains of M. avium were isolated from Passer spp. in the Czech Republic; the birds were considered a possible source of tuberculosis infection in cattle Matˇejka Kubín, 1967; Rossi Dokoupil, 1967; Hejlíˇcek Treml, 1993a, c. In the Czech Republic, infected chickens are the main source of mycobacteria for house sparrows Hejlíˇcek Treml, 1993a, c. species as the wood pigeon, Passer spp., the barn swallow, the common starling, the com- mon grackle, the common blackbird, the jackdaw, the rook and the American crow Jennings, 1955–1957; Keymer, 1958; Jennings, 1959, 1961; Clark Locke, 1962; McDiarmid, 1969; Lipaev et al., 1970; Davis et al., 1971; Mair, 1973; Hacking Sileo, 1974. Avian pseudotuberculosis sometimes occurs in epizootic episodes especially during severe winter conditions, and its manifestations are varied: ruffled feathers, anorexia, diarrhoea, lack of coordination and sudden death. Some wild avian species, however, are known to be refractory to natural infection. Isolations of Y. pseudotuberculosis were repor- ted from healthy synanthropic birds: common starlings in France and Switzerland Simitzis-le Flohic et al., 1983; Odermatt et al., 1998; Gautsch et al., 2000, and pied wag- tails in Japan Fukushima Gomyoda, 1991. Gulls were also found to be infected in the Far East Lvov Ilyichev, 1979; Kaneuchi et al., 1989. For people, free-living birds that carry and shed the causative agent via faeces may represent a source of infection. In Japan, Y. pseudotuberculosis isolates from wild ducks were of serotypes 1b and 4b, which repre- sent the most frequent serovars in local human strains, and they contained the same plas- mid types 3 and 1, respectively as human isolates Hamasaki et al., 1989; Fukushima Gomyoda, 1991.

8.2.2.7. Gram-positive cocci