About psittacosis
Psittacosis is an uncommon disease that is usually transmitted to humans from birds. It is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia psittaci. The disease can cause fever, headache, muscle aches and cough. Antibiotics can usually treat it successfully.
Disease type:
Zoonoses
Vaccination available under NIP:
No
Notifiable disease:
Yes
Case definitions
National guidelines
Prevention, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
For information about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, see the Victorian government’s psittacosis page.
Surveillance and reporting
Psittacosis is a nationally notifiable disease.
We monitor cases through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS).
For more on psittacosis in Australia, you can search Communicable Diseases Intelligence.
Date last updated: