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In medicine (pulmonology), psittacosis — also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis — is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci (formerly Chlamydia psittaci) and contracted not only from parrots, such as macaws, cockatiels and budgerigars, but also from pigeons, sparrows, ducks, hens, gulls and many other species of bird. The incidence of infection in canaries and finches is believed to be lower than in psittacine birds.
The word “ornithosis” is only a synonym for “psittacosis” in certain contexts [1]: more generally the term is applied to any infection that is spread by birds.
In birds, Chlamydophila psittaci infection is referred to as avian chlamydiosis (AC). Infected birds shed the bacteria through feces and nasal discharges, which can remain infectious for several months. Many strains remain quiescent in birds until activated under stress. Birds are excellent, highly mobile vectors for the distribution of chlamydial infection because they feed on, and have access to, the detritus of infected animals of all sorts.
C. psittaci in birds is often systemic and infections can be inapparent, severe, acute or chronic with intermittent shedding. Symptoms in birds include “inflamed eyes, difficulty in breathing, watery droppings and green urates.”[2]
Initial diagnosis may be via symptoms, but is usually confirmed via an antigen and antibody test. A PCR-based test is also available. Although any of these tests can confirm psittacosis, false negatives are possible and so a combination of clinical and lab tests is recommended before giving the bird a clean bill of health.[2]
Infection is usually via the droppings of another infected bird, though it can also be transmitted via feathers and eggs,[3] and are typically either inhaled or ingested.[2]
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