What are the symptoms of psittacosis and when do they appear? In humans, the symptoms are fever, headache, chills, muscle pains, cough, and sometimes breathing difficulty or pneumonia. If left untreated, the disease can be severe, and even result in death, especially in older people.
What does parrot fever look like?
Psittacosis infected birds are asymptomatic (show no symptoms) until they are stressed and then it causes puffy and swollen eyes (conjunctivitis), lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss, fluffed feathers, nasal discharge, and an enlarged liver. 3 It can also cause diarrhea and respiratory issues in some species of birds.
How does parrot fever affect humans?
Psittacosis can affect the lungs and may cause inflammatory illness of the lungs (pneumonia). Additional common symptoms include fever, muscle pain (myalgia), headaches, and a dry cough.
How do you test for psittacosis in humans?
Psittacosis is most commonly diagnosed by serologic testing. Antibodies to Chlamydia psittaci can be detected using microimmunofluorescence (MIF), complement fixation (CF), and immunofluorescent antibody tests (IFA).
Is my parrot making me sick?
Psittacosis is a disease caused by bacteria (Chylamydia psittaci) spread through the droppings and respiratory secretions of infected birds. People most commonly get psittacosis after exposure to pet birds, like parrots and cockatiels, and poultry, like turkeys or ducks.
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