[Anti-Chlamydia psittaci antibodies in a healthy pediatric population]

Psittacosis or ornithosis is a bird disease caused by Chlamydia psittaci which can be transmitted to man. Little is known of the epidemiology of the disease in this region, but occasional cases which have been brought to the authors' attention have prompted an epidemiological study on the subject. The preliminary results indicate a surprising percentage, over 8%, of antibodies in infants and children. This percentage varies little in relation to place of residence, rural or urban, or the presence of animals, but confirms the high risk in parrot-owning households where anti-Chlamydia antibodies are found in 37.5% of children.