Dogs may be an effective weapon against E. coli infections at beaches, according to a new study.
Research was presented at this week's annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Gull droppings are known to be a source of E. coli bacteria, which can lead to issues like diarrhea and abdominal cramping in humans, according to DiscoveryNews.com. The bacteria is commonly found in animal and human faces and can end up in the seas through sewage and rain water run-off.
High levels of the bacteria is among the leading causes of beach closures in many areas around the world, including the U.S. and the U.K.
A recent report indicated that approximately a third of all E. coli samples taken from seagulls were resistant to at least one or more antibiotic.
Researchers assigned dogs to cover beaches along the shores of Lake Michigan in the U.S. which were patrolled for parts of the summer season, according to Discovery News. Halfway through, the dogs were switched to untreated sections to see how they'd do.
The number of Ring-Billed gulls have increased there since the 1970s, rising by 10 percent per year, according to the study.
"Most of the time, the dogs were kept on their leads," said Dr. Elizabeth Alm from Central Michigan University, who led the study, according to Discovery News. "They were released with the leads dropped, only when their handler directed them to chase gulls. Then the dogs were called, they would circle back, and the handler would pick the lead back up."
During the summers of 2012 and 2013, researchers recording the approximate number of birds at each section of the beach, and collected and tested for E. coli samples.
Bacterial counts were much lower in locations where the dogs kept the gulls away, according to the study.
Researchers found that later in the summer bacterial numbers increased once again. Alm believes that the timing of the dog patrols is important to their effectiveness.
"If the E. coli establish in the sand early in the season, they appear to be able to persist, and probably even grow in the sand so that even though the dogs can remove the gulls from the beach later in the season, this late reduction in gulls does not translate in to a late season reduction in E. coli," said Alm.
One important question raised by a number of publications is should beachgoers worry about the dogs increasing the levels of E. coli themselves while on the job.
"These were professional working dogs," said Dr. Alm. "They were given ample opportunity to take care of their "business" before going to work. They didn't often poop on the beach, but if they did it was immediately picked up by their handler and disposed of off the beach."
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