Psittacosis

PREVIEW

Early explorers were captivated by the colorful birds in the tropics, especially on discovering that some of them liked to mimic speech. It's no wonder that these birds were brought home as pets (many on the shoulders of pirates, if cartoons are to be believed). Unfortunately, the organism causing psittacosis sometimes came along too. Although infections were first discovered in parrots, dozens of birds are now recognized as capable of spreading the disease. Dr Kirchner describes all facets of this uncommon but potentially serious infection.