Prevalence and Persistence of Pathogens in New York State Road-Kill Disposed of Through Composting: A Literature Review

Abstract

Summary: Composting is being investigated by New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as a tool for managing road-killed animals in New York State, particularly white-tailed deer. As part of a project to evaluate the effectiveness of static pile composting to inactivate pathogens in road-killed carcasses, the Cornell Waste Management Institute conducted a literature review and consulted with experts to identify the pathogens that might be present and to assess their sensitivity to inactivation by heating.