Ducks can transmit a surprising range of infections to humans, including bacterial illnesses like salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis, respiratory infections like psittacosis, parasitic conditions like swimmer’s itch, and in rare cases, avian influenza. Most transmission happens through contact with duck droppings, contaminated water, or inhaling dust from dried fecal matter rather than through direct bird-to-person contact.
Salmonella and Campylobacter
These two bacterial infections are the most common diseases people pick up from ducks. Ducks shed Salmonella and Campylobacter in their droppings and carry the bacteria on their feathers, feet, and beaks, even when they look perfectly healthy. The germs spread to cages, coops, feed dishes, water containers, and anywhere the birds roam. You don’t need to touch the duck directly. Simply handling contaminated equipment and then touching your mouth is enough.
Both infections cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever that typically start within a few days of exposure. Most healthy adults recover without treatment, but children under 5 are three times more likely to be hospitalized from a Salmonella infection. The risk is highest with backyard ducks because people handle them more casually than commercial flocks, and children are often the ones cuddling or carrying the birds.
E. coli
Certain harmful strains of E. coli live in the digestive tracts of ducks and pass into their droppings. Like Salmonella, transmission happens when contaminated material gets into your mouth, whether through unwashed hands, contaminated water, or undercooked duck meat or eggs. E. coli infections cause severe abdominal cramps and watery or bloody diarrhea. The stakes are highest for young children: kidney failure strikes 1 out of 7 children under age 5 diagnosed with E. coli O157 infection.
Psittacosis
Psittacosis is a bacterial respiratory infection caused by a pathogen that ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and parrots all carry. You get it by breathing in dust contaminated with dried bird droppings or respiratory fluids. When an infected duck’s droppings dry out, the bacteria become airborne as fine particles. Less commonly, a bird can transmit it through a bite or beak-to-mouth contact.
Symptoms resemble pneumonia: fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a dry cough. It’s treatable with antibiotics, but it can become severe if not recognized early. People who clean duck coops, handle nesting materials, or work in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation around ducks face the greatest risk.
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Wild ducks are natural carriers of avian influenza viruses, including the H5N1 strain that has drawn global attention. In the United States, sporadic human infections with H5N1 have occurred since 2022, mostly after direct or close exposure to infected poultry or dairy cows without protective equipment. Some cases have involved backyard poultry or wild birds, and in a few instances the source of exposure was never identified.
Illness severity in humans has ranged from no symptoms at all to severe disease resulting in death. People with close or prolonged contact with infected birds or contaminated environments face the greatest risk. Ducks are particularly notable carriers because they can shed influenza viruses without appearing sick themselves, making it harder to know when a flock is infected.
Fungal Infections From Droppings
Two fungal diseases are linked to bird droppings, including those of ducks. Histoplasmosis is caused by a fungus that thrives in soil enriched with bird or bat droppings. You get it by breathing in fungal spores stirred up when cleaning coops, raking soil, or disturbing accumulated waste. Most people who inhale a small number of spores never develop symptoms, but heavier exposure can cause fever, cough, and fatigue that mimics pneumonia.
Cryptococcosis is caused by a different fungus commonly found in bird droppings and contaminated soil. It primarily threatens people with weakened immune systems, where it can progress to a serious brain infection. Both fungi grow in the droppings themselves rather than being carried on the bird’s body, so the risk is concentrated wherever waste accumulates and dries.
Swimmer’s Itch
If you’ve ever developed an itchy rash after swimming in a lake, ducks may be the reason. Swimmer’s itch is an allergic skin reaction caused by microscopic parasites that live in the blood of infected ducks, geese, and swans. The adult parasites produce eggs that pass into the water through the bird’s droppings. Snails in the water serve as an intermediate host, eventually releasing tiny larvae that swim freely looking for their next bird host.
Humans are a dead end for these parasites. The larvae burrow into your skin but can’t survive there, triggering an immune response instead. Within twelve hours, you’ll notice tingling or burning skin, followed by small reddish bumps that can develop into blisters. The rash is uncomfortable but resolves on its own within a week or two. Lakes and ponds with large duck populations and abundant snails carry the highest risk, especially in shallow, warm water near the shore.
Waterborne Parasites
Ducks contribute to Cryptosporidium and Giardia contamination in natural water sources. Both parasites spread primarily through water, and duck droppings in ponds, lakes, and streams introduce infectious cysts that are remarkably hardy. It takes very few organisms to make you sick: as few as 1 to 10 Cryptosporidium oocysts or 10 to 100 Giardia cysts can cause infection. Studies of bird populations in China have found Cryptosporidium prevalence rates between 8% and 20%.
Both parasites cause watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and nausea that can last one to three weeks. Cryptosporidium is particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems because the infection can become chronic and severe. Swallowing even a small amount of untreated lake or pond water where ducks congregate is enough for exposure.
Who Faces the Highest Risk
Children under 5 are disproportionately vulnerable because their immune systems are still developing and they’re more likely to put their hands in their mouths after touching birds or contaminated surfaces. People with weakened immune systems from diabetes, liver or kidney disease, HIV, autoimmune conditions, or cancer treatment also face more severe outcomes from nearly all duck-borne infections. Backyard duck keepers, farm workers, and wildlife rehabilitators have higher exposure simply through frequency of contact.
Reducing Your Risk
Wash your hands with soap and running water every time you touch ducks, collect eggs, or handle anything in their living area. Adults should supervise handwashing for young children, and hand sanitizer works as a backup when soap isn’t available. Keep a dedicated pair of shoes for the coop and leave them outside your home.
Wear gloves when cleaning enclosures or handling droppings. Never clean coop equipment indoors, as this can bring airborne pathogens into your living space. To disinfect surfaces, first scrub off visible debris with warm soapy water, then apply a diluted bleach solution or commercial poultry disinfectant. Leave the disinfectant on the surface for the time specified on the label (typically 30 seconds to 10 minutes) before rinsing and air-drying.
Keep coops clean to prevent droppings from accumulating and drying into dust, which is the primary route for respiratory infections like psittacosis and histoplasmosis. If you swim in lakes or ponds frequented by ducks, towel off briskly after leaving the water and avoid wading in warm, shallow areas near shore where swimmer’s itch larvae concentrate.