Clever, cute, easy to feed, and highly interactive parrots are one of the ideal pets for many people nowadays. Open social media and often see people sharing videos of intimate interactions with bird pets on their hands, shoulders, and even heads. But the harmonious coexistence between humans and birds may actually have hidden crises. Not long ago, Mr. Li, a parrot enthusiast from Chengdu, recovered from a disease called "parrot fever" caused by birds and completed a one week hospitalization at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College. Why was Mr. Li diagnosed with "parrot fever"? What kind of disease is this? Recently, reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News had a conversation with He Jie, an attending physician in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, and Chen Ting, an attending physician in the Department of Hepatology at the Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center, to listen to their detailed explanation of relevant issues. 1. Intimate interaction with the little parrot. The owner had a high fever of 39.4 ℃. According to He Jie's recollection, Mr. Li initially came to the respiratory department for medical treatment because he had a high fever of 39.4 ℃ for 5 days, accompanied by severe coughing and body pain. Before coming to the hospital, Mr. Li thought he had caught a cold and took some cephalosporins and ibuprofen, but his symptoms did not improve. After discovering wet rales in Mr. Li's lower lungs through auscultation and learning that he usually coughs violently and has difficulty breathing, He Jie judged that Mr. Li's condition was quite serious and admitted him to the hospital. During Mr. Li's hospitalization, He Jie carefully examined his CT and inferred that he may have contracted parrot fever. "The difference between parrot fever and influenza is that its CT shows lung consolidation and bronchial inflation. The lung manifestations of influenza are mainly interstitial ground glass like changes." When communicating with Mr. Li's family, He Jie learned that they have a little parrot that they have been keeping for more than two years, and Mr. Li often lets the parrot play on his shoulders, head, and hands, and even feeds it with his mouth. The interaction is very intimate. Later, on the recommendation of the hospital, Mr. Li underwent a painless fiberoptic bronchoscopy examination and lavage fluid metagenomic testing, and was ultimately diagnosed with "parrot fever". Parrot fever "is not only transmitted by parrots, but also carried by seemingly healthy birds. It is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Chlamydia psittaci infection. According to Chen Ting, "Parrot fever", also known as "bird fever", is a disease that can be transmitted by almost all poultry species, including domesticated barnacles, thrushes, pigeons, wild seagulls, and migratory birds, in addition to parrots. Respiratory transmission and direct contact transmission are the main modes of transmission for "parrot fever". For example, the feathers and excrement of infected birds containing chlamydia may form aerosols that can be transmitted to humans through the air. And when touching sick birds without washing hands, chlamydia may invade the human body through mucosal contact, such as rubbing eyes, eating, etc. Data shows that birds infected with "psittacosis" may experience diarrhea symptoms, but they may also not develop the disease and become latent carriers of chlamydia. Chen Ting reminds that hidden infections of "psittacosis" can also be contagious in seemingly healthy birds, while birds that are kept at home for a long time generally do not carry "psittacosis" chlamydia, but there are two situations that need to be noted. One possibility is that before the public buys the bird, it has already been infected with Chlamydia psittaci, but has not yet developed symptoms, and there is a possibility of infection later on. That is why it is emphasized to conduct quarantine, especially for some imported pet birds, to ensure that they have quarantine observation time. Another type is birds raised by the public in free range, such as pigeons, which often fly outside and are particularly susceptible to chlamydia infections Chen Ting said. He suggested that bird raising families should choose birds with qualified inspection and quarantine certificates when purchasing new birds. When cleaning bird cages or bird habitats in daily life, masks and gloves should be worn to prevent the possible transmission of psittacosis chlamydia through contact. After cleaning, hands should be washed promptly with disinfectant to ensure hand hygiene. Early treatment is relatively easy, but diagnosis is difficult. "Parrot fever" can be fatal. Mr. Li is fortunate to have received one week of treatment and was discharged smoothly. His body was not seriously affected, but looking back at previous reports on "Parrot fever", some patients were even admitted to the intensive care unit and used "artificial lung" ECMO due to this disease. Chen Ting said that the biggest challenge in dealing with "parrot fever" is diagnosis. Because the disease itself is relatively rare and presents symptoms similar to influenza and viral pneumonia, it is more likely to be misdiagnosed, resulting in patients not receiving targeted and effective treatment, which delays the condition. According to him, the initial symptoms of "parrot fever" infection mainly include fever, chills, headache, muscle soreness, cough, etc., similar to influenza and viral pneumonia. In the later stage, the disease may cause severe lung infection, even respiratory failure, leading to the death of the patient. If only cephalosporins, antipyretics, and other treatments are used to treat psittacosis, the condition will not improve, but will become increasingly severe. In the absence of standardized treatment, the mortality rate of patients with psittacosis can reach 10%, possibly due to hepatosplenomegaly or severe pneumonia He Jie reminds. However, if patients can be diagnosed with "psittacosis" infection in the early stages, the treatment of the disease can achieve good results. "Usually, tetracycline antibiotics can greatly reduce the severity of the disease, maintain a mild state, and treat for about 7 to 14 days, and the symptoms will improve and end," Chen Ting said. Therefore, he suggests that doctors should inquire about the patient's history of contact with poultry when receiving patients to assist in diagnosis and determine whether further PCR testing, serum antibody testing, and other methods are needed to check whether the patient is infected with "psittacosis". (New Society)