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Health Dictionary

Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.

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Psittacosis primary prevention

Introduction

Overview

Overview

Effective measures for the primary prevention of psittacosis include avoidance of exposure to birds that may carry this bacteria, such as imported parakeets. Medical problems that lead to a weak immune system also increase the risk for this disease and should be treated appropriately.

Primary prevention

Primary prevention

Since the major means of transmission of psittacosis is through infected birds:

  • Infected birds should be treated with antibiotics under veterinary guidance. Doxycycline is considered superior to chlortetracycline.[1]
  • It is necessary to clean all potentially contaminated areas, first with removal of organic material, then disinfection due to the persistence of the C. psittaci.
  • The use of protective equipment including gloves, an N95 mask (respirator), eye wear, and surgical cap while disinfecting is recommended.
  • There are no human vaccines available yet for C. psittaci, but encouraging results have been achieved in poultry with DNA vaccines encoding C. psittaci MOMP.[2]
References

References

  1. ↑ Smith KA, Bradley KK, Stobierski MG, Tengelsen LA, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Psittacosis Compendium Committee (2005). “Compendium of measures to control Chlamydophila psittaci (formerly Chlamydia psittaci) infection among humans (psittacosis) and pet birds, 2005”. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 226 (4): 532–9. PMID 15742693.
  2. ↑ Ogren SO, Hökfelt T, Kask K, Langel U, Bartfai T (1992). “Evidence for a role of the neuropeptide galanin in spatial learning”. Neuroscience. 51 (1): 1–5. PMID 1281521.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]:Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Omodamola Aje B.Sc, M.D. [2]