For the Birds

Psittacosis, or parrot fever, produces chills, fever, nausea and occasional pulmonary disorders; if untreated, 20% of its victims will die. Not surprisingly, it most often strikes people who keep or handle parrots or other pet birds. But psittacosis may not be the only ailment that bird owners can acquire from their feathered friends. A pair of English researchers report in The Lancet that the same organism that causes parrot fever may also bring on a form of heart dis ease. Doctors have long been looking for causes other than rheumatic fever for disease of the heart valves; it is only relatively recently, however, that some have noted a link between birds and heart problems. To examine the connection, Cardiologist Christopher Ward and Immunologist Anthony M. Ward (no kin) questioned 257 patients under treat ment for valvular heart disease. They found that 125 had had rheumatic fe ver or a related ailment. But they fur ther discovered that of the 132 with no history of these illnesses, 83 (or 63%) had owned or handled birds. The doctors examined post-mortem tissue from 27 patients who had had valvular heart disease. Seven were carrying antigens indicating possible infection with a microorganism called Chlamydia psittaci--the same microbe that causes parrot fever.

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