BALTIMORE, Nov. 28 - U. S. researchers say they have discovered a novel pathway for potential human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from poultry trucks.

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore say broiler chickens typically are transported in open crates on the back of flatbed trucks with no effective barrier to prevent release of pathogens into the environment. These crates become contaminated with feces and bacteria.

Ana M. Rule, Ellen K. Silbergeld and Sean L. Evans collected air and surface samples from cars driving two to three car lengths behind the poultry trucks for a distance of 17 miles. The cars were driven with both air conditioners and fans turned off and with the windows fully opened.

Air samples collected inside the cars, showed increased concentrations of bacteria -- including antibiotic-resistant strains -- that could be inhaled. The same bacteria were also found deposited on a soda can inside the car and on the outside door handle, where they could potentially be touched.

"Our study shows that there is a real exposure potential, especially during the summer months, when people are driving with the windows down; the summer is also a time of very heavy traffic in Delmarva by vacationers driving to the shore resorts," Rule said in a statement.

The Delmarva Peninsula is a coastal region shared by Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, where broiler chickens are raised.

The findings are published in the Journal of Infection and Public Health. (UPI)