Psittacosis

Psittacosis – Parrot Fever- Zoonotic Infectious Disease

Psittacosis which is also known as parrot fever and ornithosis, is a zoonotic infectious disease and is caused by a bacterium known as Chlamydia psittaci which is contracted from parrots like budgerigars, cockatiels and macaws and pigeons, sparrows, ducks, hens, gulls and several other species of bird. In some context, the term `pssitacosis’ is used when the disease is transmitted by any species of bird of the Pssitacidae family while `ornithosis’ is used when the other birds are the carriers of the disease.

This ailment is a very rare form of disease and according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 50 confirmed cases per year have been known in the United States since 1996 though several cases could have gone undiagnosed or unreported. A person can suffer from parrot fever from an infected bird in many ways such as by handling the bird or breathing in the fine particles of its faeces or other bodily excretions that could lead to an infection or may also become infected if the person is bit by the bird or one tends to kiss the bird by touching their mouth to their beak.

Symptoms

The symptoms of parrot fever resembles flu or pneumonia and begins around ten days after exposure though would take less or around 19 days for the symptoms to show up and most of the symptoms associated with flu include -


• Fever with the combination of chills
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Muscle and joint pain
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Cough which would be typically dry

Other symptoms which may not seem like flu comprises of chest pain, intolerance to light and shortness of breath and in rare cases the infection could also cause inflammation of various internal organs which may include the brain, liver and areas of the heart. Moreover it could also lead to decreased lung function leading to pneumonia. Since this disease is a rare condition, doctors often tend to overlook the disease at first and hence it is advisable to inform the physician if one has been exposed to any potentially sick bird or have been working in a pet shop, veterinarian’s office, poultry processing plant or any area which is exposed to birds.

Diagnosis & Treatment

Diagnosis of the condition is done through several tests where the blood and sputum could reveal if one has the type of bacteria causing the infection. X ray of the chest or CT scan could show if there are traces of pneumonia which is sometimes caused by the disease. The physician could also order an antibody titer test to detect if there are any antibodies to the bacteria causing the parrot fever and how much of the antibody are present.

Antibodies are proteins that the immune system produces when faced with a foreign, harmful or antigens substance like parasites or bacteria and the changes in level of antibodies could indicate how much the person has been infected with the bacteria,Chlamydia psittaci, causing parrot fever. Parrot fever is treated with the help of antibiotics which are effective against this disease and with timely treatment the person can be restored to normal health.