Avian Chlamydiosis (Psittacosis) Signs and Symptoms

A list of clinical signs the animal may or may not display.

Birds
It is important to remember that birds may be harboring the bacteria without any apparent ill effects. In caged birds, the onset of disease following exposure to C. psittaci occurs across a broad range of time from as quickly as 3 days to as long as several weeks. Young birds are more susceptible than adults, and the disease can spread rapidly among colonial nesting birds.

When birds develop the disease the symptoms are nonspecific. Infected birds may become quiet, withdrawn, have a poor appetite, loose weight, exhibit a ruffled appearance, have discharge from the eyes or
nose, and diarrhea. The disease can be fatal for birds. If you believe your pet birds or poultry may be infected, you should contact your veterinarian for the appropriate laboratory testing, diagnosis, and treatment.

Humans
In humans, there is a wide variation in clinical symptoms:

• asymptomatic (no symptoms), to
• mild influenza-like symptoms (fever, headache, rash, muscle aches, chills, cough), to
• severe pneumonia.

Typically the disease is mild and may not be diagnosed. However, the human disease can be severe with other complications involving the heart, liver or brain. The onset of symptoms usually occurs 4 to 15 days after exposure. With proper treatment, the mortality rate is less than 1%.