can birds cause respiratory problems in humans

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Disorders with Similar Symptoms

The following conditions can have symptoms that resemble psittacosis. Comparisons may be useful for a differential diagnosis.

An infectious disease called brucellosis affects cattle and can spread to people. While more common in other parts of the world, it is uncommon in the United States. One of the four species of bacteria in the genus Brucella is responsible for the disorder. Initial infection symptoms can include fevers, headaches, muscle aches, loss of appetite, excessive perspiration, and physical weakness. Some people have acute symptoms, which appear suddenly, while others may experience gradual onset of symptoms over several months. If brucellosis is not treated, it could take months for the illness to go away after the right medication is started. Brucellosis can have localized effects that only affect a specific part of the body, or it can have serious systemic effects that affect the body’s organ systems, including the central nervous system. People who only consume pasteurized cow and goat milk may be able to avoid contracting brucellosis. Pasteurization kills the bacteria that cause the disease. However, brucellosis can also strike farmers and those who come into contact with butchered meat. (To learn more about this condition, use the search term “brucellosis” in the Rare Disease Database.) ).

Small mammals like hares, rodents, and rabbits are frequently afflicted with tularemia, an uncommon infectious disease. It is extremely contagious and typically spreads to people through contact with infected animals or bites from infected ticks or flies. Individuals are not known to spread the infection to other people. The disease is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The severity of tularemia varies greatly. There are cases that are minor and resolve on their own, cases that have major complications, and cases that pose a serious risk to life (roughly 2 percent). (To learn more about this condition, use the search term “tularemia” in the Rare Disease Database.) ).

It’s important to distinguish pustacosis from other, more typical causes of fever, persistent exhaustion, weakness, and other vague flu-like symptoms. These causes include other infectious diseases and various autoimmune diseases. Certain illnesses such as Q fever, influenza, legionellosis, viral pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, infective endocarditis, and tuberculosis can present with symptoms resembling those of psittacosis. (To learn more, use the name of the particular disorder as your search term in the Rare Disease Database.) ).

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A comprehensive clinical evaluation, a thorough patient history, the identification of characteristic findings, and a range of specialized tests, including specialized blood tests that reveal characteristic antibodies produced by the body in response to psittacosis infection, are used to make the diagnosis of psittacosis. The body produces specialized proteins called antibodies to fight off foreign substances like bacteria.

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Treatment

Antibiotic therapy is the primary treatment for individuals with psittacosis. Tetracycline and doxycycline are usually the first medications used. Most individuals respond within 24 to 72 hours. Erythromycin may be recommended for children or pregnant women. In rare cases, individuals have been treated with chloramphenicol.

Finding a single case of the illness should be reported to the local public health authorities because it has the potential to spread among animals and cause epidemics. It’s critical to treat psittacosis in birds to prevent further transmission.

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Declaration of competing interest

Neither financial nor non-financial competing interests.

Appendix ASupplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101288.

FAQ

Can birds affect your breathing?

Bird Fancier’s Lung is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an immunologically mediated lung disease due to repetitive exposure of air-borne avian antigen. This was first described in 1965 and is known as one of the most common causes of hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Can pet birds cause respiratory problems in humans?

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.

Can bird droppings cause lung disease?

Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by breathing in spores of a fungus often found in bird and bat droppings. People usually get it from breathing in these spores when they become airborne during demolition or cleanup projects.

What bird disease affects the lungs?

Bird fancier’s lung (BFL), also known as bird breeder’s lung, is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. It can cause shortness of breath, fever, dry cough, chest pain, anorexia and weight loss, fatigue, and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (the most serious complication).