Problems in the diagnosis of ornithosis

Abstract

The paper describes 3 cases of ornithosis that could be detected by clinical and laboratory studies using immunological assays. In one case, its diagnosis was made late when the infection occurred in a woman working in a travel agency in Cyprus. The two other cases having an occupational contact (pet shop workers) were observed to have its acute form. All the described cases showed lung involvement characterized by external respiratory failure, one of the most common manifestations of ornithosis (psittacosis). Among the practically used laboratory tests, the indirect hemagglutination reaction is an accessible and effective serological assay for the diagnosis of ornithosis.

Keywords

• ornithosis
• airway damage
• epidemiological method
• laboratory diagnosis