Inflammatory, Hypersensitivity and Immune Lung Diseases, including Parasitic Diseases.
Fred W Wright in Radiology of the Chest and Related Conditions, 2022
Psittacosis - (due to Chlamydia psittaci - an intracellular organism found in parrots, parakeets, macaws, cockatiels and to a lesser extent in budgerigars, pigeons and other birds, including poultry) may give rise to a wide spectrum of illness, ranging from a mild 'flu-like condition to a severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress and multiple organ involvement. Patients typically have fever, headache, a dry cough and myalgia. Radiologically there are often 'soft' patchy lung infiltrates, but miliary changes and lobar pneumonia (sometimes without sparing of a segment, which is more often seen in bacterial types) may be found. Often the radiological changes are much greater than are suggested by physical signs, and they may take several weeks to clear.
Chlamydia trachomatis
Peter M. Lydyard, Michael F. Cole, John Holton, William L. Irving, Nino Porakishvili, Pradhib Venkatesan, Katherine N. Ward in Case Studies in Infectious Disease, 2010
Chlamydiaceae are some of the most widespread bacterial pathogens in the world and there are several species that infect a variety of hosts based on a wide range of tissue tropism. Two species, Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydophila pneumoniae, are human pathogens and are responsible for various diseases that represent a significant economic burden. Chlamydophila psittaci and C. pecorum are mainly bird/animal pathogens, although zoonotic transmission of the former to humans can occur resulting in the disease psittacosis.
Human psittacosis: a review with emphasis on surveillance in Belgium
Published in Acta Clinica Belgica, 2020
Joanna Rybarczyk, Charlot Versteele, Tinne Lernout, Daisy Vanrompay
Avian chlamydiosis caused by Chlamydia psittaci is known for centuries. C. psittaci infections are widespread throughout the world and caused by an obligate intracellular gram-negative bacterium having a unique reproduction cycle. C. psittaci reveals two predominant morphological life forms, a metabolically inactive, infectious form, the elementary body; and a metabolically active, noninfectious form, the reticulate body. C. psittaci is causing a zoonotic disease, named psittacosis or parrot fever in humans. However, the latter name might be misleading as, based on results of isolation, antigen detection and serology, C. psittaci can infect more than 450 bird species from at least 30 different orders [1]. The avian host range is probably even broader when diagnosis is made by PCR, a more sensitive and specific diagnostic technique that has replaced culture as the gold standard for Chlamydia diagnosis. In birds, C. psittaci infections are often systemic and can display unapparent, severe, acute or chronic manifestations [1,2]. Primary replication in birds starts in mucosal epithelial cells and macrophages of the respiratory tract, after which the pathogen causes septicemia and replication in epithelial cells and parenchymatous tissues throughout the body [3]. In humans, infection most commonly occurs in persons with a history of contact with birds in either the setting of occupational or companion bird exposure. This paper presents an overview on human psittacosis caused by C. psittaci, focusing on recent findings and on psittacosis surveillance in Belgium.
Chlamydophila psittaci pneumonia associated to exposure to fulmar birds (Fulmaris glacialis) in the Faroe Islands
Published in Infectious Diseases, 2018
Marian Elsubeth Fossádal, Mansour Grand, Shahin Gaini
Psittacosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci (CP) [1,2]. In humans, this pathogen can cause systemic illness but mostly presents with flu-like symptoms which later may be complicated with atypical pneumonia [2]. Many infected humans have a mild self limiting illness [2].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Epizootic
- Pneumonia
- Systemic Disease
- Intracellular Parasite
- Disease Outbreak
- Psittacosis
- Influenza-Like Illness
- Virus Latency
- Disease Vector
- Chlamydia