[An outbreak of psittacosis at a bird-fanciers fair in the Netherlands].

Within 2 weeks after a bird-fanciers fair in the Netherlands in November 2007 11 patients presented at our hospital with fever, shivers and severe headache. Dyspnea and dry cough were less common, although the chest X-ray showed a consolidation in 9 out of 11 patients. The clinical diagnosis of psittacosis was quickly confirmed using real-time PCR, although the sensitivity of this test was low (20%). In 9 patients the diagnosis was later confirmed by a rise in complement fixing antibodies in paired sera. None of the patients needed intensive care treatment. All patients recovered uneventfully with antibiotic treatment. Psittacosis is an avian zoonosis, caused by Chlamydophila psittaci. Humans are infected by inhalation of the bacterium that is shedded by excreta or dust from feathers of different sites of either sick or asymptomatic, mostly psittacine, birds. The clinical picture ranges from asymptomatic or mild, flue-like symptoms to severe illness. A timely diagnosis is necessary for successful outbreak management. The realtime PCR is an adequate test in that respect.