Study shows pigeons are reservoirs of harmful bugs

Via Reuters, a report which we need to pay attention to :

" Scientists studying pigeons have found that the often reviled urban bids that dominate city squares around the world carry two disease-causing bugs that make them a public health hazard.

The findings of the study by a team of researchers in Spain show that although these bacteria can be harmful to humans, they appear to cause no harm to the birds themselves.

As a result, pigeons -- often dubbed "rats with wings" by those who suspect them of spreading disease -- can act as living "reservoirs" for some harmful bugs, the scientists said.

"Animals that live in close contact with humans can be dangerous reservoirs of human pathogens," wrote Fernando Esperon from the Animal Health Research Centre in Madrid, who led the study. "These birds may therefore pose a public health risk to the human population.

"Inhabitants of cities from London to Venice to New York to San Francisco tend to have a love-hate relationship with the millions of urban pigeons that dominate city plazas, street-side cafes and monuments. Their droppings plaster Trafalgar square in London, St Mark's square in Venice, and Times Square in New York, where they peck endlessly at crumbs or leftover food."