Other sources of enteric pathogen contamination

Wild and domestic animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, are likely to harbour enteric pathogens and are therefore potential transmitters to agricultural environments and produce. For instance, Salmonella spp. has been isolated from the intestinal tracts of most warm-blooded and many cold-blooded animals. 

Insects are considered to be another potential vector for faecal material to produce in production areas (Geldreich et al., 1964). Pollinating insects might inoculate flowers with pathogens opening the pathway for fruits to internalize pathogens and eliminating their accessibility to surface decontamination (De Roever, 1999). 

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