Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Ornithosis; Chlamydia psittaci
Treatment
The infection is treated with antibiotics. Doxycycline is the first line treatment. Other antibiotics that may be prescribed include:
- Azithromycin
- Erythromycin
- Moxiflacin
- Rifampin
- Tetracycline
Note: Tetracycline and doxycycline by mouth is usually not prescribed for children until after all their permanent teeth have started to grow in or to pregnant women. The medicine can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
Full recovery is expected.
Complications
- Brain involvement
- Decreased lung function as a result of the pneumonia
- Heart valve infection
- Inflammation of the liver (
hepatitis )
Calling your health care provider
Antibiotics are needed to treat this infection. If you develop symptoms of psittacosis, call your health care provider.
Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of
Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
