CANADA GEESE POSE THREAT HEALTH RISK FACING GOLFERS, GARDENERS.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Golfers and park maintenance workers could be more susceptible to a parasite that can cause intestinal problems because of exposure to goose droppings, according to a study.

The study released by the Medical College of Ohio last week said the droppings of the giant Canada goose may be more than an annoyance and could pose a public health threat.

``We just want the public to be aware especially in areas with a lot of geese, and be extra cautious not to come in contact with the column-shaped droppings,'' said Dr. Michael Bisesi, an environmental health scientist who worked on the study.

Bisesi explained that there has been an increase in the Canada geese population in various states, particularly in areas with ponds such as parks and golf courses.

Maintenance workers or golfers are more likely to be exposed to the droppings, and since most contact with the excrement is accidental, they could ingest the parasite if they don't wash their hands well.

The ingestion could cause gastrointestinal distress culminating in diarrhea that could last a few days, but no more than 30 days.

Bisesi said that in most cases, the immune system can handle the exposure, but those with pre-existing gastrointestinal diseases or who are immunocompromised are most vulnerable to the parasite found in the discharge. For those with health problems, exposure can be deadly.

Robert Hertzing, head of maintenance at the Valencia Country Club which has several large lakes, said that a large number of geese visit the golf course, but the numbers are manageable.

``We have a lot of geese and they leave their droppings on the playing surfaces, so the golfers are exposed,'' Hertzing said.

Once a day, a maintenance worker goes out with gloves and a scoop shovel to clean up a half-acre of space that's part of the playing surface.

``Some days there's nothing out there, and some days they had a party,'' Hertzing said. He believes the geese are at the golf course year-round.

Hertzing said he isn't concerned about the geese, but says it could become a problem if their numbers increase significantly. So far, he said, nobody has experienced the side effects described in the study.

The team of researchers collected and analyzed goose excrement from public parks, golf courses and other locations near bodies of water in Lucas, Wood and Ottawa counties in northwest Ohio.

The parasite, called cryptosporidium, causes the gastrointestingal disease that gained national attention in 1993 when the city of Milwaukee's water supply became contaminated with the parasite's cysts.

The incident resulted in 400,000 cases of the disease and 100 deaths. Goose feces may also contain two other microorganisms, giarardia and campylobacter, which can also cause gastrointestingal problems.

``It's highly unlikely that could happen,'' Bisesi qualified. ``It was an unusual outbreak.''

The researchers are urging routing testing for the parasite in park and golf-course maintenance workers and gardeners who are exposed to geese droppings and who suffer characteristic intestinal problems.

``I want to emphasize that we want to increase public awareness,'' Bisesi said. ``We don't want to instill panic.''