Geese and E. coli

• 2 studies characterized E. coli in goose feces found in urban environments
• In a Fort Collins, CO study, the overall prevalence of pathogenic E. coli in Canada goose feces was found to be 25% (Kullas, et al. 2002)
• 4 general potentially pathogenic E. coli and 2 virulence factors were identified. 1 virulence factor is known to produce severe diarrhea, while the other is associated as a causative agent of infantile meningitis
• Researchers also quantified the amount of feces in parks, estimating that a person taking a 1-mile walk in a park was likely to physically come in contact, on the bottom of his or her shoes, with 4-8 piles of feces that contained virulence determinants

*Source: Avian Diseases: Carriage of Bacterial Pathogens by Canada Geese and Blackbirds United States Department of Agriculture National Wildlife Research Center. 2002.