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Possible Nosocomial Transmission of Psittacosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Carolyn Hughes ,
Pat Maharg ,
Peter Rosario ,
Michael Herrell ,
Donna Bratt ,
Jose Salgado  and
David Howard
Carolyn Hughes*
Affiliation:
Departments of Infectious Diseases, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana
Pat Maharg
Affiliation:
Employee Health Services, Evansville, Indiana
Peter Rosario
Affiliation:
Pulmonary Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana
Michael Herrell
Affiliation:
Pathology, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana
Donna Bratt
Affiliation:
Employee Health Services, Evansville, Indiana
Jose Salgado
Affiliation:
Departments of Infectious Diseases, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana
David Howard
Affiliation:
Pulmonary Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville Center for Medical Education, Evansville, Indiana
*
Infectious Diseases, St Mary's Medical Center, 3700 Washington, Evansville, IN 47750
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Abstract

Objectives:

To investigate a cluster of seven pneumonia cases among persons exposed to a pet-shop worker hospitalized with psittacosis.

Design:

Epidemiological study of the outbreak, sero-diagnostic evaluation of exposed persons with pneumonia; and retrospective review of the pneumonia cases.

Setting:

450-bed teaching community hospital.

Participants:

Employees of the nursing unit where the patient with psittacosis was hospitalized.

Results:

The index case had laboratory and clinical evidence of psittacosis. Four of the seven exposed persons who developed pneumonia had serologic results that met criteria for a diagnosis of psittacosis, and three met criteria for Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, possibly reflecting cross-reactivity between the microimmunofluo-rescence assays for the two diseases. The epidemiological graph suggested a relationship between the index case and the cluster of pneumonias in exposed individuals.

Conclusions:

Psittacosis may have been transmitted person to person in a hospital setting.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , March 1997 , pp. 165 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1997

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References

1. Schlossberg, D. Chlamydia psittaci. In: Mandell, GL, Bennett, JE, Dolin, R, eds. Infectious Diseases. 4th ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 1995:1693–1695.Google Scholar
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