Psittacosis (ornithosis)

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About psittacosis

Psittacosis (also known as ornithosis) is disease caused by the Chlamydia psittaci bacterium.

It most often spreads to people from infected birds.

Psittacosis infections are usually mild, but they can be serious and cause death, especially in priority groups.

Why it matters to public health

Psittacosis is uncommon in Australia. Each year about 10 to 50 people are diagnosed with the disease.

There is no vaccine for psittacosis.

Outbreaks can occur from exposure to birds or contaminated bird environments.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Common symptoms include:

sudden fever
headache
shivering (often with fever)
sweating
muscle aches
dry cough.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Complications can include:

pneumonia
rarely, inflammation of other organs such as heart, brain and liver.

Infection during pregnancy is rare but can cause severe illness, including death.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 5 and 21 days after infection, but this can be up to 4 weeks.

How it spreads

Psittacosis most often spreads to people from infected birds through breathing in dust particles that contain the bacteria.

The bacteria in these dust particles can come from:

dried bird droppings
feathers
respiratory secretions.

Less commonly, psittacosis can spread to people through:

bird bites
mouth-to-beak contact.

It’s also possible for other types of infected animals to spread the disease.

Psittacosis does not usually spread between people.

Infectious period

The bacteria can survive in dried bird faeces for months.

Prevention

Protect yourself

There is no vaccine against psittacosis.

The best ways to prevent infection are to:

avoid contact with bird droppings, feathers and dust
avoid kissing pet birds
avoid feeding or touching wild birds and their droppings
take sick birds to a veterinarian for treatment.

If handling birds, their droppings or cleaning areas birds have been, such as cages:

wear personal protective equipment – including gloves and a dust mask or P2 respirator
wet surfaces and cages before cleaning to reduce dust
wash hands after contact.

Priority groups and settings

People at greater risk of severe disease

Psittacosis poses a greater risk of severe illness to pregnant people.

People at greater risk of exposure

People might be at greater risk of being exposed to psittacosis if they have regular contact with birds or places birds have been. This includes:

bird owners
people who work or volunteer with birds
people who spend a lot of time outdoors, such as gardeners.

Diagnosis and treatment

Psittacosis is usually diagnosed with a blood test.

Before collecting a blood sample for testing, health professionals should discuss the need with a specialist microbiologist at the receiving laboratory. They should also include on the pathology request form that psittacosis is being considered as a diagnosis. This is because Chlamydia psittaci requires special handling.

Health professionals can also diagnose psittacosis by:

assessing a person’s signs and symptoms
doing a chest X-ray.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

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Psittacosis is treated with antibiotics. Early treatment is important to reduce the risk of complications.

People who develop severe pneumonia or other complications usually need care in hospital.

Surveillance and reporting

Psittacosis is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of national surveillance activities to monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

The response to outbreaks of psittacosis in Australia focuses on: 

finding the likely source of infection 
preventing further infections.

Actions public health authorities might take during an outbreak include:

ensuring appropriate public health management of people who have (or are suspected of having) psittacosis and their contacts
educating people about psittacosis, its symptoms and how to protect themselves
working with animal and environmental heath sectors to promote a coordinated One Health approach, if needed.

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For information about psittacosis in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.