Patterns of prevalence among bacterial communities of alpine accentors (Prunella collaris) in the Tatra Mountains

Abstract

Patterns of prevalence in communities of bacteria in free-living adult, juvenile, and feces of alpine accentors (Prunella collaris) were studied in the West Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia, in 2002–2003. A total of 27 species of bacteria belonging to 13 different genera were identified in cloacal and pharyngeal swabs taken from captured birds (n = 30) and/or in feces (n = 171). Forty-six percent of adult males, 75% of adult females, and 82% of juveniles sampled tested positive for one or more types of bacterium. A close association was found between the genera Hafnia, Bifidobacterium, and Pseudomonas. The prevalence of bacteria in accentors was found to vary among seasons and between years but was not, in general, site-specific. Enterococcus and Escherichia (and possibly Hafnia and Serratia) were most prevalent in summer, whereas Bacillus, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Yersinia occurred more often during other seasons. Evidence is presented that anthropogenic food obtained as refuse probably has a significant effect on the gut flora of birds frequenting areas of high human use.