CHICKENS A DANGER TO MOTORIST’S HEALTH

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Typically, broiler chickens are transported in open crates on the back of flatbed trucks with no effective barrier to prevent release of pathogens into the environment. Previous studies have reported that these crates become contaminated with feces and bacteria.

The new study was conducted on the Delmarva Peninsula—a coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, which has one of the highest densities of broiler chickens per acre in the United States. Researchers…collected air and surface samples from cars driving two to three car lengths behind the poultry trucks for a distance of 17 miles. The cars were driven with both air conditioners and fans turned off and with the windows fully opened. Air samples collected inside the cars, showed increased concentrations of bacteria (including antibiotic-resistant strains) that could be inhaled. The same bacteria were also found deposited on a soda can inside the car and on the outside door handle, where they could potentially be touched…

The strains of bacteria collected were found to be resistant to three antimicrobial drugs widely used to treat bacterial infections in people. [Of course]…these drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as feed additives for broiler poultry.

Source: John Hopkins – BLOOMBERG School of Public Health