Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-09
SCIENCE BATTLES
MYSTERIOUS FEVER
CAUSED BY PARROT
Rare Disease Attacks Three
in Annapolis After Long
Lapse of Time.
CASES ALSO APPEAR
IN GERMAN SEAPORTS
Public Health Physicians and Johns
Hopkins Specialists Making
Observations.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Parrot fever, or psittacosis, one OF the
rarest and most fatal Infectious dis
eases known to science, apparently has
gained a foothold in Annapolis, Md.
While fears of widespread epidemic
of this malady are considered far
fetched, United States Public Health Of
ficials are watching closely develop
ments at the Annapolis Emergency Hos
pital, where Mr.. and Mrs. Lee w. Kali
mey are fighting for their lives against
the ravages of the dreaded fever.
Parrot fever appears to have made
its temperance in the world in the
past few months. After long period
in which no cases were reported 1t
broke out in October in the Argentine
Republic. as related by the Buenos Aires
correspondent of the American Medical
Association. in company of actors
who had taken part in q play which
used parrot as sailors pet. Several
members of the company died, includ-
ing one OF the foremost of Latin Amer
lean comedians. At the same time an
outbreak In one of the provinces was
reported to the Argentine Public Health
Service
May Strike Household.
The present case at Annapolis is ap-
parently the next appearance of the
disease, concerning which almost Moth
ing is known. According to the refer
ences cited by the Hygienic Laboratory
of the Public Health Service, 1t seems to
be contracted originally from parrots
and has notable tendency to become
epidemic In households All the mem
bers OF family may be stricken, pre-
sumably from handling or cleaning out
the cage of the same sick parrot with
out the disease spreacolg any further.
There are cases on record, however,
which indicate that one person has
would make possible widespread cpl
denlic. Whether this Is the case is not
known. The fever has the very high
mortality rate OF from IS to 40 per cent.
but the figures do not tell the whole
story. for the death rate is much
higher among older people than among
children. 1t is not even known whether
the mortality Is due to the disease it
self or to pneumonia, to which it seems
to be contributing factor
The actual disease, according to the
be more prevalent than is generally
supposed. due to the likelihood Of
diagnosing 1t as pneumonia or influenza
Up to the present there has been only
one serious American outbreak. which
caused considerable mortality in Boston
early in the century and which was
traced to some sick parrots in a de-
partment store which were petted by
shoppers. The case reports on this
epidemic are not available at present.
First Appeared in 1879.
The disease first appeared in Ger
many in 1879, but case reports are lack
ing. The first great outbreak occurred
in Paris in 1928, Immediately after
the great influenza epidemic which had
swept over France, and was at first mis-
taken for a revival of this malady.
There were striking differences, however.
and the victims were found infected
with bacillus psittacosis, which pre-
yiouSly had been found in the bodies of
parrots who had mysteriously Sickened
and died. Parrots were popular pets IN
Paris households at that time, so that
1t is unknown whether the disease
spread from one victim to another or
was contracted by each one separately
from sick pet. It was found that the
organism could be recovered from the
feathers dropped by sick parrots on the
floors OF their cages where it survived
for some time, so that even cleaning ont
the cages might have led to an infec-
ton. Outbreaks followed in England
and Italy.
The disease is described as like ty-
phoid fever complicated by pneumonia. -
1t becomes manifest in from to 25 days
after the infection. Sometimes the on
set is sudden with severe chills. like
pneumonia, and sometimes IL is grad
Continued on Page 2, Column -