Re: pigeon droppings

pumpkins@mallorn.com wrote:
> 
> to my garden.  I think he is nuts.
 
  Good manure is good manure.  Use them but uniformly.

>  This is old, dusty stuff that is in my aunt's barn loft, 
>  and has been added to over the years.
> 
> What I want to do is clear the stuff out of there, but can it
> carry any diseases?  I don't want my obit to read that I died
> from pigeon droppings.

  Pigeon droppings have a reputation for infecting humans. Turning to my
teasured copy of Medical Mycoloogy by Emmons the world authority, I find
8 pages on pigeons. 
  I copy:
  Cryptococcus neoformans first isolated in 1894 from peach juice has
since only been isolated from man, animals, and barnyard soils, 
  In 1955 Emmons found frequent saprobic association with the nests and
manure of pigeons. Strains of C. neoformans isolated from pigeon manure
vary in virulence but are indistinguishable from those from fatal cases
in man. Present in pigeon manure in upperfloors, towers, haylofts. Also
isolated from 19% of canary feces. Pigeon Manure is believed to be the
source of most fatal infections in man.
 Pathology: The fatal cases are often brain lesions. Also found in
lesions of eye, bone, skin, breast and other organs. Often found when
operating for removal of tumors. 
  Lesions in skin and lung usually heal themselves. Infection of central
nervous system is usually fatal unless treated. 
  
  I would go to library and read about the disease before creating a
dust. perhaps you can use a mist to moisten the manure during removal.
Proceed with knowledge and caution. 
  I could write more but this seems so risky, that you should do your
own study before proceeding. The disease is worldwide. It does not
affect pigeons or canaries, prob their body temp is too high. It is
found only in the crop of Pigeons.  
  Don't blame the pigeons. It just happens that a widespread organism
happens to find the ingredients of pigeon manure very good for growth.
It you re not worried about having a canary, then don't worry about
cleaning up the barn loft. 
  Plenty of people who did not know the risk have lived their lives with
pigeon droppings and thought nothing of it. 

Harold Eddleman  indbio@disknet.com
  It is a yeast like fungus



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index