Skip to main content

CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1418241

Acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by Chlamydia psittaci: A case report and literature review

Provisionally accepted
Yan Zhou Yan Zhou 1Ya Zou Ya Zou 1Lu Zhou Lu Zhou 1Hua Wei Hua Wei 1Yong-Wei Zou Yong-Wei Zou 1Xi-Rui Guo Xi-Rui Guo 1Yong- Qin Ye Yong- Qin Ye 1Na Li Na Li 2Yun Lu Yun Lu 1*
  • 1 Chengdu Second People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Central People’s Hospital of Zhanjiang, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Psittacosis is a zoonotic disease with a low incidence rate and a lack of specificity in clinical manifestations, making it prone to be missed, misdiagnosed, and even cause delayed treatment for patients. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was successfully performed for the diagnosis of a young patient with psittacosis progressing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and precisely targeted antibiotic treatment was promptly administered. Additionally, a comprehensive review was conducted on 68 cases of psittacosis complicated with ARDS, with the goal of improving the clinical awareness of this disease. Case Presentation: This study reports a 37-year-old young female who was infected with Chlamydia psittaci (C. psittaci) after contact with parrots and eventually developed ARDS. The patient initially developed fever and sore throat, followed by cough and expectoration. Despite receiving empirical anti-infection treatment, the condition continued to progress rapidly, and severe dyspnea developed within a short period of time. She was subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) and underwent tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. After the DNA sequence of C. psittaci in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was detected through mNGS, the patient received targeted antibiotic treatment with doxycycline and moxifloxacin, and her clinical symptoms gradually improved. Conclusions: Epidemiological investigations and the application of mNGS are crucial for the early identification and diagnosis of psittacosis. For suspected psittacosis patients, the application of mNGS technology could promote early identification of pathogens and targeted antimicrobial therapy, which might improve patient prognosis. In addition, young psittacosis patients without underlying disease should also be vigilant about the possibility of developing severe cases.

    Keywords: Chlamydia psittaci, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Epidemiological investigation, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, case report

    Received: 14 May 2024; Accepted: 11 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhou, Zou, Zhou, Wei, Zou, Guo, Ye, Li and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yun Lu, Chengdu Second People's Hospital, Chengdu, 610017, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.