An increase in Psittacosis cases in Europe
Five European countries have reported an increase in cases of Psittacosis, a bacterial respiratory disease known to originate from birds or poultry. The events began at the end of 2023 and led to the death of five people. The World Health Organization, in a detailed report, states that the reported events from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands are mostly related to contact with wild or domestic birds.
Sweden is the only country that made a change in the diagnostic processes, a factor that may explain the increase in the number of reported cases.
Psittacosis is caused by the bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci, which originates from birds or poultry. Human infection usually occurs through the respiratory tract. There have been previously reported cases of slaughterhouse workers being infected (1).
Austria: 14 cases were reported in 2023, and in 2024, 4 more cases were reported.
Denmark: From the end of 2023 to the beginning of 2024, 23 cases were reported, with 17 cases resulting in hospitalization and four deaths. Denmark has reported between 15 and 30 cases in humans each year over the last five years.
Germany: 14 cases were confirmed in 2023. In 2024, 5 more cases were reported, resulting in 16 hospitalizations.
Sweden: A particularly high number of cases were reported at the end of 2023 (26 cases). In 2024, ten cases were reported in January and three cases in February.
Netherlands: Since the end of December, 21 positive cases have been reported.
1. Dickx V, Geens T, Deschuyffeleer T, Tyberghien L, Harkinezhad T, Beeckman DS, Braeckman L, Vanrompay D. Chlamydophila psittaci zoonotic risk assessment in a chicken and turkey slaughterhouse. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2010 Sep;48(9):3244-50.