MSP :: Farm Animal Training

Farm Animal Training :: Poultry

The following precautions are necessary in order to protect yourself and your family from disease while working with poultry:

Gloves should be worn when caring for poultry, and hands must be washed after glove removal and frequently throughout the day.
Many of the poultry zoonoses are caused by fecal-oral contamination. To prevent this, no eating, drinking, applying lip balm or smoking is allowed in areas where pigs or their excreta are present. Always wash your hands prior to eating, drinking, smoking, or applying lip balm.
Report sick birds immediately so the University Vet can diagnose, treat, and prevent the spread.
Designated protective clothing and shoes should be worn, and these are to be kept and laundered at the facility. It can be particularly dangerous to bring these organisms home to your family members. A normal, healthy adult may have only mild symptoms when infected with a zoonotic disease, but the same organisms can be fatal to infants, the elderly, and those with a weakened or suppressed immune system, such as people without spleens, people taking cortisone and other medications, people on chemotherapy or radiation, those with cancer, diabetes, AIDS or renal failure, etc.

· If you suspect your immune system may be abnormal, seek medical attention for diagnosis, treatment and determination as to whether or not animal exposure is safe for you. Do this immediately!

POTENTIAN ZOONOSES:

Campylobacteriosis and Salmonellosis were discussed under General Zoonotic Training

PSITTACOSIS (aka parrot disease, parrot fever, and chlamydiosis) refers to a human infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci. It is found worldwide in birds, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, ruminants, swine, cats, ferrets, muskrats, and frogs. Human infection with C. psittaci usually occurs through the inhalation of the organism aerosolized from urine, exudates, respiratory secretions or dried feces of infected birds or mammals. Other sources of exposure include bird bites, mouth-to-beak contact and handling the plumage and tissues of infected birds. Respiratory Psittacosis is an acute respiratory tract infection, often with a sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, malaise, photophobia, myalgia, and rash. The severity of disease ranges from inapparent to severe systemic disease, especially in untreated elderly persons. In rare cases, pregnant women exposed to C. psittaci have contracted gestational psittacosis: atypical pneumonia, sepsis, and placental insufficiency resulting in premature birth or miscarriage. If an unusual, unexplained, or persistent respiratory illness (i.e., influenza-like symptoms in a non-flu season) develops in an exposed person, a physician should be consulted.

ERYSIPELAS is caused by a Gram-positive anaerobic rod, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, found where substances that contain nitrogen decompose. Usually found in swine, fish, poultry, clams, crabs, grease, and fertilizer. Infected pigs show high fevers, painful movement due to infected joints and often, there is a skin rash of raised, pink to purple, squarish lesions which range in size from pinpricks to about four inches across. The disease can cause similar lesions in man. In mild cases, a rash will form, usually on the hands. In a more severe case, the rash will have raised blue-purple spots with sharply defined edges and is painful. Normally it is lasts 2 to 4 weeks and is benign, but has also been known to cause arthritic changes, endocarditis and damage to heart valves, or sudden death. Persons working in these areas should wear puncture-proof gloves and wash their hands frequently. Wear protective clothing (gloves) when handling pigs, their wastes or body tissues and afterwards, wash your hands!. Antibiotic treatment is indicated, but E. rhusiopathiae has been found to be resistant to sulfonamides, aminioglycosides, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and vancomycin.

HISTOPLASMOSIS – may be present in sites with an accumulation of animal feces, especially from birds and bats, because these “enrich” the soil and promote growth of the fungus. Spores are spread by the wind, and the disease can be contracted by inhalation. Many people have had histoplasmosis and didn’t know it – it can be mild, have no symptoms, or can appear as an acute respiratory illness with flu-like symptoms -- sometimes misdiagnosed as the flu. Avoid areas that may harbor the fungus, e.g., accumulations of bird or bat droppings. Material such as this, it should be moistened to minimize dust, and a respirator should be worn to prevent the inhalation of spores. Before starting a job or activity having a risk for exposure to H. capsulatum, consult the NIOSH/NCID document Histoplasmosis: Protecting Workers at Risk

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/tc97146.html

Learn more about:

MSP Enrollment / General Zoonotic Training / Farm Animal Training /
Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles Training / Wild Animal Training / Lab Animal Training /

EHS Training / Office of Research Compliance

This page was updated on August 10, 2004, and is maintained by Sue Pedrick in the Joseph F. Sullivan Center of the College of Health, Education,and Human Development