Bacterial and fungal flora in faecal samples from rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in the City of Zagreb, Croatia.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of bacteria and fungi in populations of urban rooks. We investigated the prevalence of bacteria and fungi in the faeces of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in the City of Zagreb, during their breeding period in 2006. Microbiological examination of fresh faecal samples revealed the occurrence of Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Agrobacterium radiobacter, and Acinetobacter spp. One rook was positive for Campylobacter jejuni, as confi rmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The fungal species Mucor spp., Cladosporium spp., Rhodotorula rubra, Aspergillus (A.) fumigatus and A. fl avus, Alternaria sp., Candida spp., and Penicillium spp. were also isolated.