A woman had a high fever after "petting a cat". What does it have to do with parrots?

Cat lovers, please raise your hands if you have ever done any of the above!

For people who like cats, this cute little animal is an important part of their happy life. People who have cats at home can get rid of most of their fatigue by hugging their cats every day when they return home; and cat cafes and cat coffee shops outside can also meet the needs of people without cats.

Some time ago, the media reported that a woman in Shanghai went to a pet store to "pet cats" and then developed symptoms such as high fever, fear of cold, and shivering, and was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital. After examination, the woman was found to be infected with psittacosis.

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A Zhejiang woman who also suffered from psittacosis stayed for a while watching people slaughtering ducks, and then she developed symptoms such as general fatigue and high fever.

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Both cases were caused by psittacosis. So what is psittacosis? Why does it occur in cats and ducks? Should we avoid contact with these animals in the future? I will tell you all about it today.

What is psittacosis?

Psittacosis is a disease caused by infection with Chlamydia psittaci, a pathogen that is prevalent in birds. In 1894, it became prevalent in Paris, France. Since most of the patients at that time had contact with parrots, the disease began to be called psittacosis.

After that, some reports of pneumonia spread by non-parrot birds began to appear, which was called "bird pneumonia" or "bird plague" at the time. In 1930, Chlamydia psittaci was isolated by scientists, and since then, pneumonia caused by Chlamydia psittaci has been called psittacosis.

What are the symptoms of psittacosis?

The initial symptoms are relatively hidden and difficult to identify. The main symptoms are common cold symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, etc. The muscle aches are mainly neck and back pains, and joint pains may also occur.

Afterwards, common pneumonia symptoms will appear, such as cough, which is mostly dry cough, but may also have a small amount of mucus and sputum, occasionally with blood, and some people will experience chest pain and pleural effusion.

In severe cases, there will be severe discomfort symptoms such as shortness of breath, purple lips, and difficulty breathing. Chest CT examination may show large patches of inflammatory exudates of pneumonia. At the same time, there will be combined with systemic discomfort symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, fatigue, abnormal liver function, jaundice, renal failure, etc., some of which may affect the heart.

How is parrot fever transmitted?

Psittacosis is mainly spread among birds, but can also infect humans. It is mainly transmitted through contact or respiratory tract transmission.

Contact with sick parrots or birds and poultry that carry pathogens

Breathing ambient air contaminated by secretions and excretions of these birds

Inhalation of feathers and dust containing pathogens

People of all ages and genders are generally susceptible to psittacosis. Poultry farmers, pet store staff, veterinarians, turkey operators, and slaughterhouse workers are all high-risk groups.

The two patients mentioned at the beginning of the article, "cat sucking" and slaughtering ducks, were later diagnosed with psittacosis chlamydia. At this time, many friends who keep pets at home may be worried. Is it a big risk to keep cats, poultry and other animals at home, and are they very likely to be infected with psittacosis?

In fact, there is no need to worry too much. Infection with psittacosis chlamydia is relatively rare. If symptoms occur, provide the doctor with a history of contact with poultry, birds and other animals in a timely manner when seeing a doctor. Psittacosis is a treatable disease.

How to prevent parrot fever?

Blocking all possible sources of infection is the main means of preventing this disease. It is difficult for the human body to produce lasting immunity after being infected with psittacosis, and the vaccine is not effective in preventing it, so vaccination is not used to prevent this disease.

Parrot fever is mainly spread by birds, so bird keepers should pay attention to the following points:

① Buy birds from regular pet stores and do not adopt birds of unknown origin;

② Clean the bird cages and bird droppings every day. Wear a surgical protective mask when cleaning. Moisten the surface of the bird cages and bird droppings with disinfectant before cleaning to avoid inhaling the raised dust. Wash your hands thoroughly with running water and soap after cleaning;

③ When you find that pigeons or other birds have died suddenly, you cannot kill them privately, but should report to the epidemic prevention department;

④ If you develop fever symptoms after contact with birds or animals, you should seek medical attention promptly and proactively provide your doctor with your history of contact with birds or animals so that the doctor can conduct psittacosis-related examinations in a timely manner and make a diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

In addition, for other people who usually raise pets, chickens, ducks and other poultry, remember to wash your hands with running water and soap after contact with these animals, and clean up the animal's hair and feces in time. There is no need to panic too much. If you have symptoms of fever or discomfort, seek medical attention in time and provide the doctor with the animal contact history.

Expert of this article: Wang Qian, attending physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hebei Chest Hospital

Reviewer of this article: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director and Master Supervisor of the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

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