title: Possible nosocomial transmission of psittacosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate a cluster of seven pneumonia cases among persons exposed to a pet-shop worker hospitalized with psittacosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epidemiological study of the outbreak, sero-diagnostic evaluation of exposed persons with pneumonia; and retrospective review of the pneumonia cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  450-bed teaching community hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employees of the nursing unit where the patient with psittacosis was hospitalized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The index case had laboratory and clinical evidence of psittacosis. Four of the seven exposed persons who developed pneumonia had serologic results that met criteria for a diagnosis of psittacosis, and three met criteria for Chlamydia pneumoniae infection, possibly reflecting cross-reactivity between the microimmunofluorescence assays for the two diseases. The epidemiological graph suggested a relationship between the index case and the cluster of pneumonias in exposed individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psittacosis may have been transmitted person to person in a hospital setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Evansville Center for Medical Education, IN, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maharg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosario
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrell
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bratt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salgado
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D009956:Psittacosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D014481:United States