Clinical ornithosis in a New Zealand aviary

Abstract

Extract

Clinical ornithosis (psittacosis) in man and birds was first reported in New Zealanc following importations of parrots from Australia in 1953 and 1954 (Fastier and Austin, 1954; Jeffery, 1954; Murray et al. 1954; Cairney, 1954). Apart from one human infection resulting from exposure to the ornithosis agent in a laboratory (Fastier and Austin, 1954), the clinical disease has been reported only in imported birds and in human beings who have come into con-tact with them. In 1959, Miles isolated the causative agent from nine clinically normal domestic pigeons and a wild rosella, thus demonstrating the presence of latent carriers of the organism in this country.