Recently, an elderly couple developed symptoms of high fever and pneumonia one after another, but the doctor's diagnosis was unexpected, related to a small bird in the family. This discovery has attracted widespread attention and discussion.
The elderly couple's symptoms were very sudden, including high fever, muscle aches, chest tightness, etc., and the doctor conducted a series of tests, but the results were normal. However, the situation changed after the doctor learned that the old man had a small bird in his home.
The condition was attributed by doctors to a rare form of "psittacosis", a zoonotic infectious disease that is transmitted to humans mainly through birds. Although the symptoms of this disease lack specificity, it can lead to serious complications and even life-threatening.
Psittacosis is caused by a microorganism called chlamydia. Infected birds may not have any symptoms, but humans can become infected with the disease when they inhale particulates from sick bird waste or are bitten.
The incubation period for psittacosis is generally 5 to 14 days, and can be up to 45 days. Patients often present with fever, sore throat, cough, dyspnea, and may even present with neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms.
The key to preventing psittacosis is to improve personal hygiene and management of pet birds. In particular, high-risk groups such as pet birds, veterinarians, and pet store owners need to pay special attention to precautions.
In recent years, sporadic cases of psittacosis infection have been admitted to various parts of the mainland, which reminds us to strengthen our understanding and prevention of this disease to avoid illness and even life-threatening.