Psittacosis
Psittacosis is a reportable disease in Oklahoma. Psittacosis is a disease caused by the bacteria Chlamydia psittaci, which can cause illness in both birds and humans. Psittacosis is most identified in birds in the parrot family (psittacine birds), such as parakeets, cockatiels, parrots, and macaws, but can also occur in poultry, pigeons, and waterfowl. Birds infected with Chlamydia psittaci may exhibit tiredness, loss of appetite, ruffled feathers, weight loss, difficulty breathing, greenish-colored droppings, or discharge from the eyes and nose.
In humans, the disease ranges from showing no symptoms to systemic illness with severe pneumonia. The illness typically starts with an onset of fever, chills, headache, malaise, and muscle aches. A mild cough and sore throat often develop following these symptoms. Although C. psittaci infection in humans is normally mild, it can be more severe for persons who are elderly or have a condition that suppresses their immune system. A person can reacquire the disease after a prior infection. The symptoms generally appear about ten days after exposure but can appear as early as one week or as long as four weeks after exposure.
Occasionally, birds may die from psittacosis. Psittacosis in humans is typically characterized by general respiratory symptoms.
People get psittacosis primarily by breathing in contaminated dust from bird droppings or feathers, and by close contact with sick birds that are shedding the organism. Birds tend to shed the organism under conditions of stress such as shipping and crowding. For this reason, the disease is most often seen in birds that have been recently imported, housed in pet shops, or boarded with other birds. Birds do not have to show symptoms of disease to spread the infection to other birds or their handlers. Human-to-human spread is extremely rare. Waste material in the birdcage may remain infectious for weeks and birds may shed the bacteria for weeks or months.
