Psittacosis

Psittacosis General Information

In this first chapter we will try to help you familiarize with this medical condition called Psittacosis, a type of infection caused by a bacterium belonging to the genus Chlamydia, Chlamydia psittaci that can be found in the droppings of birds. The information that we present here may not be complete and if you have questions, it is better to ask a trained specialist. Also known as Ornithosis, parrot disease or parrot fever, this type of infection can be easily transmitted from birds to humans. It is usually contracted from species of parrots, such as budgerigars, macaws or cockatiels or from sparrows, gulls, pigeons, hens, ducks etc.

This rare medical condition affects people who own birds, are veterinarians, pet shop employees or workers in poultry processing plants. Psittacosis is acquired by just inhaling dried droppings of the infected birds. The incubation period for this type of bacterium is 6 to 20 days. The specific signs and symptoms of this infectious disease in humans are mild and specific to those of a regular flu. Cases of Psittacosis transmitted from person to person are very rare, but when they occur is because the respective person was exposed to aerosolized and infectious droplets of another person who is experiencing sudden and very forceful cough during an acute medical disorder. If not treated in time, this type of medical disorder has severe consequences for the patient’s life. You should consult a doctor as soon as you start experiencing some of the specific signs and symptoms.

Psittacosis Symptoms

The list of the most common signs and symptoms of Psittacosis that we offer you may not include all the possible manifestations. This happens because every person’s organism reacts in a different way to harmful bacteria, as the one causing this type of infectious medical disorder. The clinical symptoms can vary in intensity and range from mild, to moderate and even to really severe ones, depending on the virulence of the infectious agent, the species provoking the disorder, the route of the disorder, etc. The symptoms can be hardly noticeable and can go even to systemic illness accompanied by severe pneumonia. Scientists affirm that this infectious medical disorder called Psittacosis presents chiefly as an unusual type of pneumonia. You can observe if a bird is sick if the droppings are lime-green and yellow. The symptoms caused in humans differ from those of birds and they are usually presented in two different categories.

We will continue presenting you the most common signs and symptoms in humans: dry cough, muscle aches, tiredness, chills, blood-tinged sputum, high fever, shortness of breath, headache etc. In the first days of Psittacosis, the symptoms can indicate typhoid fever: conjunctivitis, prostrating high fevers, leukopenia, arthralgias, epistaxis or diarrhea. On the surface of the skin you can observe some red spots called Horder’s spots. The headaches are usually intense and suggest meningitis; nuchal rigidity is quite common. Towards the end of the first week of infection, splenomegaly can be frequent; which can also result in coma and stupor, but only in the severe cases.

Psittacosis Treatment

In this last chapter of our presentation we will describe you several treatment options that are commonly used to treat Psittacosis. Every health care provider decides what treatment to apply after a complete medical exam of the patient, depending on his/her general health status, stage of the disease, age and sex etc. These methods of therapy may not be the only one available. Science has evolved so much that new treatments are released on the market every day. For more information, if you feel necessary, you can address to your personal doctor or to other trained specialist in this type of infections. As in the case of any other type of medical condition, if the adequate treatment is applied in time, the expectances are high and the chances for a full recovery are greater.

When you go to a medical examination, you will need to speak about the signs and symptoms that you experienced lately, about your family and personal medical history and if your work is related to birds. Your health care provider will perform a physical examination to look for the obvious signs of the disease. If he/she considers necessary, you will do some other tests, involving microbiological culture from the respiratory secretions or blood samples. An X-ray of the chest may be indicated, as well as antibody titer, sputum culture and CT (computerized tomography) of the chest. If the results of these tests indicate that the patient may suffer from Psittacosis, a treatment option will be applied immediately. Usually, to treat efficiently this disease, doctors choose to prescribe antibiotics.

The drugs of choice for treating the patients who suffer from Psittacosis are Chloramphenicol and Tetracycline. Almost all patients respond very well to these drugs administrated orally (by mouth). The exact doses are the following: 120 mg of Doxycycline given twice a day, 450 mg of Chloramphenicol palmitate four times a day, at every six hours and 600 mg of Tetracycline Hydrochloride given three times a day. If the stage of Psittacosis is more advanced, the respective patients will receive IV (intravenously) doxycycline hyclate at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight every day, divided in two injections daily. Sometimes, the disease may relapse and in that case the treatment must be continued for at least 2 weeks after fever is gone. If there are persons for who Tetracycline is not indicated (especially pregnant women and children who have less than 10 years old), the first treatment option is based on Erythromycin. You must also note that Tetracycline is not prescribed orally for children until after their all permanent teeth have appeared because this medication can cause permanent discoloration of the teeth that are still in the process of forming. Other drugs that have positive effects, but are used more rarely because they cause several unpleasant side effects are: Rifampin and Azithromycin. If these treatment options are followed exactly as in the prescription, fully recovery from Psittacosis is expected in a matter of weeks. If not, possible complications, such as heart valve infection and hepatitis may occur.