Abstract
We conducted a study in the summer of 2004 at county fairs in the Midwest to investigate the role poultry exhibits have in spreading avian pathogens to humans. A nearly invisible powder (pathogen surrogate) that fluoresces under UV light was surreptitiously sprinkled each day on 1 show bird at each of 2 fairs. A UV light box was used to daily examine the hands of 94 poultry-exhibit participants (blinded regarding UV box results) for up to 4 days during the poultry shows. Enrollment and end-of-study questionnaires collected data on pathogen risk factors. Eight (8.5%) of 94 participants had evidence of fluorescent powder contamination (95% confidence interval 2.76%-14.26%). This contamination and infrequent handwashing practices suggest that county fairs are a possible venue for animal-to-human pathogen transmission.
Highlights
We conducted a study in the summer of 2004 at county fairs in the Midwest to investigate the role poultry exhibits have in spreading avian pathogens to humans
While live bird markets are uncommon in the Midwest, animal exhibits such as those at county fairs are quite common
Our study demonstrated that pathogen transmission is possible through poultry handling at county fairs
Summary
We conducted a study in the summer of 2004 at county fairs in the Midwest to investigate the role poultry exhibits have in spreading avian pathogens to humans. Eight (8.5%) of 94 participants had evidence of fluorescent powder contamination (95% confidence interval 2.76%–14.26%) This contamination and infrequent handwashing practices suggest that county fairs are a possible venue for animal-tohuman pathogen transmission. Small children are frequent visitors to county fairs and animal exhibits, and children engage in behavior such as nail biting that may make them more likely to ingest infectious agents. Live animal exhibits such as petting zoos and open farms, which are in many ways similar to county fairs, have been implicated in outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other bacterial diseases [13,14]. Indirect contact with contaminated objects, or inhalation of aerosolized virus could contribute to transmission of pathogens in such settings
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