As noted in my August 14, 2016 blog, I found a Herring Gull
with a transmitter at the beach in Seward. Here’s the rest of the story:
The January 4, 2017 Alaska Dispatch News posted an article,
“Alaska gulls are picking up antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could infect
humans.”
<
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2017/01/03/alaska-gulls-are-picking-up-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-and-public-health-implications-are-worrisome/>
According to the article, scientists trapped gulls at the
Soldotna landfill and the mouth of the Kenai River in 2014 and took fecal
samples. The study found that gulls at areas heavily used by humans were
resistant to at least one antibiotic.
There is no sign that antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Kenai
Peninsula gulls have affected people, but infections in gulls are reflective of
human impacts. There are no signs that the gulls are getting sick from the e
coli strains they are carrying.
More detailed studies were done in June of 2016, including
tracking gulls to see how they traveled between the landfill and the mouths of
the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers, and sampling fish caught at those rivers.
The e coli bacteria come from warm-blooded animals and their
waste, including birds, seals, dogs, and humans. The solution is to avoid
attracting animals and their waste to the Kenai River beaches. The scientists
hope to determine whether good waste practices, among other factors, can keep
these resistant bacteria from spreading to gulls and humans.
The USGS article <
https://www.usgs.gov/news/gulls-alaska-found-carry-antibiotic-resistant-e-coli>
has more information including a link to an ADEC brochure on how to protect
your health while dipnetting
< http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wqsar/wqs/pdfs/Kenai-River-Dipnet-Brochure-8-5-2016.pdf>
To reduce the chance of illness, ADEC recommends washing
your hands after visiting a landfill or before processing fish, wash fish in
clean tap water, and cook fish to a minimum of 145º internal temperature. Also,
dipnetters should use portable restrooms provided at the beach, throw fish
waste back into the main river channel at low tide or as far out as possible;
pick up and properly dispose of pet waste, pack out trash or use designated
trash cans and dumpsters. Wash or shower
after contact with beach and river water and do not drink river water.
That one Herring Gull taught me a lot more than I
anticipated!
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
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