What Arizona Residents Need To Know About Pigeons And Histoplasmosis

Pigeons can be found nesting on Arizona homes, commercial buildings, and other areas close to humans.  Pigeons can spread disease when they are allowed to nest, perch, and breed in these areas close to our homes.  When a pigeon is nesting on an Arizona home they are often in contact with the air conditioning units, air handlers, and can even find ways to enter a roof’s attic.  The presence of these annoying and dirty birds brings with them more then just filth and odor.  The pigeons carry with them many parasites such as ticks, fleas, mites, and flies.  They will also carry and spread diseases, which can seriously affect and even kill humans.  In addition to the diseases they can spread, a pigeon’s feces contain uric acid.  This destructive acid can eat through a building’s roof, take the paint off a car, and stain concrete.

While having the paint taken off of your car is bad, the potential danger to develop a life threatening disease is a much more serious concern.  Birds and their droppings are known to have more the forty viruses, and over sixty diseases, which they can spread.  Arizona pigeons will commonly carry a disease causing fungus on their wings, feet, and their legs.  This fungus is called Histoplasmosis and can be found in nitrogen rich soils containing a large amount of pigeon feces.  Small fungus spores are contained in the feces deposited soil until disturbed and then the fungus becomes airborne where humans can inhale it.

Every year there are more the half a million reported positive tests for this disease in America.  There have been over fifty million Americans affected by histoplasmosis, with nearly eight hundred annual deaths as a result.  Any one who comes in contact with the fungus can be at risk.  This includes children playing in their own yard, landscapers, service workers, and construction workers who do repairs or building where the fungus spores are growing.

Histoplasmosis is a lung disease, which can vary from a mild infection to a life threatening disease.  When the fungus spores are spread and then breathed into the lungs causing histoplasmosis.  This disease is airborne in nature and cannot be spread from one person to another.  Symptoms of histoplasmosis can appear from five to eighteen days after being exposed to the spores.  The disease can be diagnosed with a lab culture, blood work, and chest X-rays.

The symptoms range from person to person with the most common ailments of this lung infection developing as fevers, chills, fatigue, chest pains, and a burning cough.  While some people how no signs when they have histoplasmosis, others can become severely infected to the point of hospitalization and even death.  With an already weakened immune system: infants, elderly, people with HIV, those who are under-going chemotherapy, or others who have had an organ transplant may develop the most serious cases of this disease.

If you believe you are at risk for contacting histoplasmosis contact you doctor or healthcare professional for further information.  If you presently have pigeons nesting on or around your home be sure to call a professional bird and wildlife management professional right way to begin making a plan to remove the birds from your Arizona home immediately.