Can Birds Spread Harmful Bacteria on Dairy Farms?
Posted on January 12, 2026 on Morning Ag Clips
ONLINE — New UNH research is seeking to address the levels of Campylobacter jejuni — a bacteria that can affect herd health as well as cause food-borne illness in humans — in dairy cows.
Andrea Ayala, assistant professor of natural resources and the environment in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture (COLSA), is focusing on the role small birds play in transmitting the bacteria to cows at dairy farms in New Hampshire and across the U.S. While the final analyses are still underway, early observations indicate that house sparrows likely play a much larger role in the spread of Campylobacter and other bacteria harmful to animal health than previously thought.
