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Psittacosis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Ornithosis; Chlamydia psittaci

Treatment:

The infection is treated with antibiotics, including:

• Tetracycline
• Doxycycline
• Erythromycin
• Azithromycin
• Rifampin

Note: Tetracycline by mouth is usually not prescribed for children until after all their permanent teeth have started to grow in. The medicine can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.

Expectations (prognosis):

Full recovery is expected.

Complications:

• Decreased lung function as a result of the pneumonia
• Heart valve infection
• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
• Brain involvement

Calling your health care provider:

Antibiotics are needed to treat this infection. If you develop symptoms suggestive of psittacosis, call your health care provider.

• Review Date: 7/28/2006
• Reviewed By: Charlotte Grayson, MD, Private Practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Smyrna, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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