What are psittacosis and avian chlamydiosis?
Psittacosis, also known as ‘parrot fever’ or ornithosis, is a disease humans can contract from birds infected with Chlamydophila psittaci, a bacterial-type organism. Flu-like symptoms usually appear about five to 14 days after exposure to C. psitaci, and may include fever, chills, headache, tiredness, sore muscles, a dry cough, breathing difficulty and chest tightness. The severity of the disease ranges from no obvious symptoms to severe pneumonia and even death. Parrot fever may be particularly dangerous for the elderly, immunocompromised people and pregnant women, especially if complicated by other respiratory problems. In birds, C. psittaci infection is called avian chlamydiosis. Infected birds shed the organism in their faeces and respiratory tract secretions, and humans can become infected from exposure to these. The most usual means of infection is by inhaling microbes that have entered the air from dried faeces or secretions. Other means of exposure include mouth-to-beak contact
