Determination of the incidence of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, and Clostridium perfringens in wild birds near broiler chicken houses by sampling intestinal droppings

Several methods were evaluated for collecting fecal and intestinal samples from wild birds found near broiler chicken houses. A few intestinal samples and cloacal swabs were obtained from European starlings and house sparrows . Most of the samples collected consisted of wild bird droppings found on o r near the houses. Samples were collected from each of four farms of a broi ler integrator during a grow-out cycle: a cycle in the summer for farm A, f all for farm B, and spring, summer, fall, and winter for farms C and D. Of the 25 wild bird intestinal and fecal samples collected from a broiler hous e on farm A during a grow-out cycle in July-August 1997, 24% were positive for Salmonella spp., 4% for Campylobacter jejuni, and 28% for Clostridium p erfringens. Of the nine fecal samples collected from broiler house B in a g row-out cycle in September-November 1997, 33% were positive for Salmonella spp., 11% for C. jejuni, and 22% for C. perfringens. For farms C and D, of the 23 samples collected in March-April 1998, 0 were positive for Salmonell a spp., 11% for C. jejuni, and 52% for C. perfringens; of 27 samples collec ted in June-July 1998, 4% were positive for Salmonella spp., 0 for C. jejun i, and 13% for C. perfringens; of 24 samples collected in August-October 19 98, 14% were positive for Salmonella spp., 5% for C. jejuni, and 4% for C. perfringens; of 14 samples collected December 1998-January 1999, 0 were pos itive for Salmonella, 50% for C. jejuni, and 14% for C. perfringens. The in cidence of these bacterial enteropathogens in wild birds near the broiler c hicken houses suggests that wild birds that gain entry to poultry grow-out houses have the potential to transmit these pathogens to poultry.