Ornithosis (psittacosis)

Ornithosis (synth, psittacosis - psittacosis) is a zoonotic natural-anthropurgic infectious disease with an aerosol mechanism of neperacia of the pathogen, characterized by fever, intoxication, damage to the lungs, nervous system, hepatolyenal syndrome.

ICD-10 code

A70. Ornithosis.

Causes of Ornithosis

The causative agent of ornithosis is Chlamydophila psittaci, the genus Chlamidia of the Chlamidiaceae family, an obligate intracellular parasite. Propagated by binary fission in the cytoplasm of affected cells. Chlamydia can form L-forms. They have thermolabile antigens. Pathogenicity factors are surface exotoxins and LPS (endotoxin). Cultivated in tissue cultures and in chick embryos. Highly resistant to the environment. Sensitive to the means of disinfection.

The reservoir and source of the pathogen are various kinds of wild synanthropic ones. Ornamental and domestic birds, in which ornithosis occurs in the form of carriers; or acute intestinal infection. The mechanism of transmission of the causative agent is aerosol. The transmission path is air-dust. A fecal-oral mechanism is possible: by the food route of transmission of infection (up to 10% of cases). Ornithosis - a widespread disease, is recorded in the form of sporadic cases and group production or family outbreaks. It is established that 10-20% of community-acquired pneumonia have ornithic etiology. The greatest epidemiological significance are birds of the parrot and pigeon family.

Ornithosis - Causes and pathogenesis

Symptoms of Ornithosis

The incubation period for ornithosis is from 5 to 30, usually 8-12 days. With the pneumonic form, the disease usually begins acutely: with chills, fever to 38-40 C, severe weakness, headache, pain in the muscles and joints. The temperature reaches a maximum on the 2nd-4th day of the disease. The fever is remittent, and without treatment at 2-4 weeks of the illness, the temperature is lytically reduced. In severe cases, fever of a constant type is possible. From the 2nd to 3rd day of the disease, there is a dry, sometimes paroxysmal cough. On the 3-4th day, cough becomes productive. Sputum is mucopurulent, sometimes with veins of blood. Possible pain in breathing, shortness of breath. The main signs in this period are laryngotracheitis and tracheobronchitis. On the 5th-7th day, physical signs of lung damage are determined: shortening of percussion sound, weakened or hard breathing, uninvited crepitation or small bubbling rales in the lower parts of the lungs.

Ornithosis - Symptoms

Diagnosis of ornithosis

Preliminary diagnosis of pneumonic form of ornithosis is established on the basis of clinical epidemiological data: patterns of atypical pneumonia (clinically, radiologically), absence of acute inflammatory blood reaction, high ESR, contact with the bird, sometimes group morbidity. The diagnosis is confirmed by the following methods.

• By the method of bacterioscopy of smears of sputum, stained by Romanovsky-Giemsa.
• Antigens of chlamydiae are determined by means of RIF or RNIF using antibodies labeled with fluorochrome.
• Biological method - by infecting chick embryos or indicator cells with the material being studied.

Ornithosis - Diagnosis

Treatment of ornithosis

Bed or half-bed mode. Specific diet is not required, table number 13.

Etiotropic therapy: doxycycline 0.1 g twice daily until the third day of normal temperature, but not less than 10 days. With a slow process regression in the lungs - up to the 10th day of normal temperature (up to 3 weeks). Alternative drugs - erythromycin in a dose of 0.5 g 3-4 times a day in a similar scheme and azithromycin - 0.5 g / day once, up to 10-12 days.

Pathogenetic therapy: bronchodilators, expectorants, in the period of convalescence - physiotherapy.

Ornithosis - Treatment

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]