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. Some people may only experience mild flu-like illness, or have no illness at all.
How long does human psittacosis last?
Psittacosis is diagnosed with blood tests and chest x-rays. Treatment includes antibiotics. The symptoms usually ease within one day, but the full course of tablets needs to be taken.
Does psittacosis go away?
Treatment. Thankfully, there is a treatment for psittacosis. Since birds cannot safely take the same kinds of antibiotics as other animals, your bird's veterinarian will likely prescribe doxycycline, an antibiotic in the tetracycline class of drugs, for 45 days to treat the disease through all stages.
What part of the body does psittacosis affect?
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. Psittacosis is caused by infection with the bacterium, Chlamydia psittaci, and may also be known as ornithosis.
Is psittacosis contagious from human to human?
Psittacosis can be spread from person to person or from other animals to humans but this happens very rarely. All birds are susceptible to infection, but pet birds (for example: budgies, lorikeets and cockatiels) are most frequently involved in passing the infection to humans.
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