Abstract
QUESTION #1: We raise cockatiels as a hobby and recently had two ill birds. We had blood tests done and were told they had bacterial infections. We gave them the prescribed medications, Baytril and nystatin, and they both recovered very quickly. Now, my fiance, who took care of the birds, is in the hospital with double pneumonia and psittacosis. He is on tetracycline.
I need to know if the two sick birds were the ones who had the psittacosis? Can another of our birds that seems healthy have passed the germ that caused my fiance to get it?
Do I need to be on the antibiotic?
What about my Senegal parrot?
She is kept in a separate room of the house.
Thanks for your help. R. Stubbens, California.
ANSWER #1: Psittacosis can be carried by birds without any signs of illness. In addition to parrot family birds, many others can also carry the organism. Birds can develop active infection and/ or shed the organism intermittently in nasal and ocular discharges and droppings. The disease has been found in some 129 species of native North American birds. One of your cockatiels could have been shedding. It is also possible that any of your other birds, including your Senegal, may be carrying psittacosis. The sick birds should be tested. Other birds should be tested. Any birds that die should be submitted for examination and testing. You should contact an avian veterinarian for advise on your birds, and a physician regarding your own health questions. Since psittacosis is a reportable disease, the physician treating your fiance would have contacted the health department and you will be contacted. You will need to treat your birds and your veterinarian will help you do this.
James M. Harris, DVM
Oakland, CA.
Answer #2: It is possible that the sick cockatiels had psittacosis as well as the bacterial infection. Psittacosis is caused by an organism called Chlamyophilia psittaci. People can get this organism from the birds but there is also a humanto-human transmitted Chlamydia pneumoniae that causes similar symptoms. It is possible to run a blood test to distinguish between the two organisms, which would be important to determine if the birds are to be blamed. The birds can also be tested but there is not one test that is 100% accurate 100% of the time due to the nature of this organism. It has characteristics of both a virus and a bacterium. The viral characteristics include the ability to hide inside the cells so that it is difficult to detect when it is not being shed. This makes diagnosis a challenge. It is a good idea to test some of the birds in the household including the birds that were sick and if any area possible or your fiance's test is specific for Chlamydophila psittaci, then all of the birds in the household should be treated. The treatment is 45 days of tetracycline or doxycycline. The birds that were positive should then be retested to be sure they are negative after the treatment. Treatment should not be instituted without good indication because antibiotic use can have side effects including overgrowth of yeast and resistant bacteria, but when needed, it works wonderfully.
ANSWER #3: Psittacosis, or parrot fever, is due to an intracellular bacterium. Recently the causative organism of this disease has been given a new name and classification. Once called Chlamydia psittaci, the new name of the organism is Chlamydophila psittaci, which is reflective of the more specific identification now afforded to this organism as additional and new research separates it from Chlamydia. It is thought that as more information is learned about this newly classified organism, that new diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines will be developed.
The disease is such that birds can carry the bacterium for years without showing clinical signs. Then, when a stress occurs, the organism can be shed and the bird or others around it can become clinically ill. Hence, birds that seem to be healthy can carry the organism, and may have passed it on to your fiance. As different tests for the organism, detect different aspects of the disease, there is no one test that will expose the organism all of the time. Often, multiple types of tests for psittacosis may need to be performed.
It is generally recommended that all exposed birds be placed on treatment for the disease for a period of 45 days. If positive birds are found, it is a good idea to retest for the disease after treatment ends. As the disease can be transmitted by fomites (such as on your shoes when you walk from one room to another), all birds in the household should be treated.
Consultation with your physician and the CDC (check out their website), can....