A Framework to Reduce Infectious Disease Risk from Urban Poultry in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
Backyard poultry ownership is increasingly common in U.S. cities and is regulated at the local level. Human contact with live poultry is a well-known risk for infection with zoonotic pathogens, notably Salmonella, yet the ability of local jurisdictions to reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission from poultry to humans is unstudied. We reviewed urban poultry ordinances in the United States and reported Salmonella outbreaks from backyard poultry to identify regulatory gaps in preventing zoonotic pathogen transmission. Based on this analysis, we propose regulatory guidelines for U.S. cities to reduce infectious disease risk from backyard poultry ownership.


METHODS
We assessed local ordinances in the 150 most populous U.S. jurisdictions for content related to noncommercial poultry ownership using online resources and communications with government officials. We also performed a literature review using publicly available data sources to identify human infectious disease outbreaks caused by contact with backyard poultry.


RESULTS
Of the cities reviewed, 93% (n=139) permit poultry in some capacity. Most urban poultry ordinances share common characteristics focused on reducing nuisance to neighbors. Ordinances do not address many pathways of transmission relevant to poultry-to-human transmission of pathogens, such as manure management.


CONCLUSIONS
To reduce the risk of pathogen exposure from backyard poultry, urban ordinances should incorporate the following seven components: limited flock size, composting of manure in sealed containers, prohibition of slaughter, required veterinary care to sick birds, appropriate disposal of dead birds, annual permits linked to consumer education, and a registry of poultry owners.
Boston University, Sargent College, Boston, MA.
Molly R
MR
Tobin
Boston University, College of Arts and Sciences, Boston, MA.
Jesse L
JL
Goldshear
George Washington University, Milkin Institute School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Washington, DC ; Translational Genomics Research Institute, Center for Food Microbiology and Environmental Health, Flagstaff, AZ.
Lance B
LB
Price
George Washington University, Milkin Institute School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Washington, DC.
Jay P
JP
Graham
Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, MA.
Jessica H
JH
Leibler
D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D011200:Poultry; D012307:Risk Factors; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control