Don't you mean psittacosis? Psittacosis is an infectious disease that is usually transmitted to humans from birds in the parrot
family, turkeys, or pigeons. It is caused by a bacteria called Chlamydia psittaci.
Who gets psittacosis?
Since the disease is spread by birds in the parrot family, it is occasionally found in pet store
workers and people who have recently purchased an infected bird. It may also be found in farmers
and slaughterhouse workers who process turkeys.
How is psittacosis spread?
Psittacosis is usually spread by inhaling dust from dried droppings of bird cages and by handling
infected birds in slaughterhouses. Person to person spread has not been reported. Waste material
in bird cages may remain infectious for weeks.
What are the symptoms of psittacosis?
In humans, the symptoms include fever, headache, rash, chills, and sometimes pneumonia. In
birds, the symptoms include poor appetite, ruffled appearance, eye or nose discharge, and
diarrhea.
How soon after infection do symptoms appear?
The incubation period may range from 1 to 4 weeks but is usually within 10 days.
Does past infection with psittacosis make a person immune?
Infection does not provide permanent immunity from this disease.
How is psittacosis diagnosed?
In humans, the diagnosis can be made by demonstrating specific antibodies to the bacteria in a
blood specimen. In birds, veterinarians can diagnose the infection by testing the stool (feces) for
Chlamydia or by an antibody test.
What is the treatment for psittacosis?
Antibiotics such as tetracycline are often prescribed. Tetracycline is effective in both humans and
birds. The disease can be severe, especially in older people, who do not receive treatment.
How can psittacosis be prevented?
If birds are kept as pets, clean the cage often so that stool (feces) does not accumulate, dry up,
and become airborne. Birds should be purchased from a reliable source that adheres to federal
recommendations for psittacosis control. Current laws require that members of the parrot family
imported from foreign countries be kept in a bird quarantine station before they can be sold. During
the quarantine, they are given food containing tetracycline to reduce the risk of infection, but the
duration of treatment is generally shorter than the 45 days necessary to completely treat the bird.
Therefore, federal health authorities have recently recommended that breeders and importers
ensure that all domestic nestlings and imported birds receive the special tetracycline feed for 45
continuous days in order to prevent the spread of psittacosis from birds to humans.
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