The microbiota in feces of domestic pigeons in Seoul, Korea
Singeun Oh,
Shin Hye Park,
Jun Ho Choi,
Soo Lim Kim,
Myungjun Kim,
Seogwon Lee,
Myung-hee Yi,
In-Yong Lee,
Tai-Soon Yong,
Ju Yeong Kim
Affiliations
Singeun Oh
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Shin Hye Park
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Jun Ho Choi
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Soo Lim Kim
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Myungjun Kim
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Seogwon Lee
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Myung-hee Yi
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
In-Yong Lee
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Tai-Soon Yong
Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Ju Yeong Kim
Corresponding author.; Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, and Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
In Korea, feral pigeons pose significant public health risks because they carry various zoonotic pathogens. Human population density is a significant factor in zoonotic disease events. Seoul is one of the largest cities by population density among developed countries and where most of the homeless population in Korea exists. We designed this study to compare the microbiota of pigeon feces by regional characteristics and the presence of homeless individuals. Therefore, this study used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to detect possible pathogenic microbes and assess the current risk of zoonosis in Seoul, South Korea. Pigeon fecal samples (n = 144) obtained from 19 public sites (86 and 58 fecal samples from regions in and outside Seoul, respectively) were examined. Potentially pathogenic bacteria were also detected in the fecal samples; Campylobacter spp. was found in 19 samples from 13 regions, Listeriaceae was found in seven samples, and Chlamydia spp. was found in three samples from two regions. Principal coordinates analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in bacterial composition between the regions in Seoul (n = 86) and outside Seoul (n = 58) and between the regions with (n = 81) and without (n = 63) homeless individuals. Overall, this study identified various potentially pathogenic microorganisms in pigeon feces at public sites in South Korea. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the microbial composition was influenced by regional characteristics and homelessness. Taken together, this study provides important information for public health strategic planning and disease control.