{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,27]],"date-time":"2026-05-27T12:40:05Z","timestamp":1779885605075,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742860800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Psittacosis is a global and underappreciated zoonosis, with increasing reported cases in many countries. There have been several outbreaks and even deaths of psittacosis reported in China. Understanding its epidemiological characteristics and dimensions is crucial for formulating precise prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of human psittacosis in Guangzhou, China.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, temporal patterns, geographic distribution and potential exposures of psittacosis in Guangzhou were analyzed based on the surveillance data and epidemiological investigation conducted between January 2021 and June 2024. Seasonal and trend decomposition using LOESS was applied to decompose the number of psittacosis cases into trend, seasonal and remainder component.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 148 cases were reported, with a significant increase in the number of psittacosis cases over the study period. Most of cases were sporadic and detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). Psittacosis was predominant males aged 40\u201379\u202fyears. Fever and pneumonia were the most commonly observed clinical manifestations. A seasonal trend was observed in the number of psittacosis cases with a high prevalence of cases in December and March. A total of 108 local cases (87%) occurred in rural regions. Among local cases, 67.7% reported a history of contact with birds or poultry, and 17.7% had been exposed to a related environment. The suspected source of infection differed between urban and rural areas, with parrots being the primary source in urban areas and poultry in rural areas.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Increasing clinicians\u2019 awareness, enhancing epidemiological surveillance, paying close attention to the epidemic in rural areas, and implementing measures against avian influenza, will be conducive to preventing and controlling psittacosis.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1526990","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T23:38:12Z","timestamp":1742945892000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Epidemiological characteristics of human psittacosis in Guangzhou, China, January 2021 to June 2024"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yunjing","family":"Wen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yongguang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinlong","family":"Liao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jianxiong","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruonan","family":"Zhen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pengzhe","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens10080948","article-title":"A review of chlamydial infections in wild birds","volume":"10","author":"Stokes","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105370","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prevetmed.2021.105370","article-title":"Global prevalence of chlamydial infections in birds: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"192","author":"Sukon","year":"2021","journal-title":"Prev Vet Med"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens12091165","article-title":"Psittacosis: An underappreciated and often undiagnosed disease","volume":"12","author":"Dembek","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3096","DOI":"10.1017\/S0950268817002060","article-title":"Chlamydia psittaci (psittacosis) as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"145","author":"Hogerwerf","year":"2017","journal-title":"Epidemiol Infect"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0238421","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.02384-21","article-title":"Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of pneumonia caused by Chlamydia psittaci","volume":"10","author":"Tang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Microbiol Spectrum"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"442","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-018-3317-0","article-title":"Laboratory methods for case finding in human psittacosis outbreaks: a systematic review","volume":"18","author":"Nieuwenhuizen","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1044984","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2022.1044984","article-title":"A cluster of psittacosis cases in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China, in 2021","volume":"12","author":"Yao","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Cell Infect Microbiol"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e512","DOI":"10.1016\/S2666-5247(22)00064-7","article-title":"Human-to-human transmission of Chlamydia psittaci in China, 2020: an epidemiological and aetiological investigation","volume":"3","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Microbe"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e62","DOI":"10.1016\/S2666-5247(22)00306-8","article-title":"Chlamydia psittaci should be a notifiable infectious disease everywhere","volume":"4","author":"Liu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Microbe"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e01845","DOI":"10.1016\/j.idcr.2023.e01845","article-title":"Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a family cluster of psittacosis: a case report","volume":"33","author":"Cao","year":"2023","journal-title":"IDCases"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1214297","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2023.1214297","article-title":"Case report: clinical analysis of a cluster outbreak of chlamydia psittaci pneumonia","volume":"13","author":"Wu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front Cell Infect Microbiol"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1481","DOI":"10.2147\/IDR.S305790","article-title":"Clinical analysis of metagenomic next-generation sequencing confirmed Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia: a case series and literature review","volume":"14","author":"Teng","year":"2021","journal-title":"Infect Drug Resist"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1631","DOI":"10.1007\/s40121-022-00662-4","article-title":"Clinical characteristics of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia infection in central South China","volume":"11","author":"Yang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Infect Dis Ther"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.1186\/s12941-023-00631-w","article-title":"Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of psittacosis among cases with complicated or atypical pulmonary infection using metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a multi-center observational study in China","volume":"22","author":"Huang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"532","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-023-08283-z","article-title":"Psittacosis caused severe community-acquired pneumonia accompanied by acute hypoxic respiratory failure: a multicenter retrospective cohort study from China","volume":"23","author":"Tang","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref16","unstructured":""},{"key":"ref17","unstructured":""},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"60","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annepidem.2020.03.001","article-title":"Human psittacosis in Japan: notification trends and differences in infection source and age distribution by gender, 2007 to 2016","volume":"44","author":"Kozuki","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ann Epidemiol"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1080\/17843286.2019.1590889","article-title":"Human psittacosis: a review with emphasis on surveillance in Belgium","volume":"75","author":"Rybarczyk","year":"2020","journal-title":"Acta Clin Belg"},{"key":"ref20","unstructured":"2024"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1016\/j.onehlt.2017.02.003","article-title":"An outbreak of psittacosis at a veterinary school demonstrating a novel source of infection","volume":"3","author":"Chan","year":"2017","journal-title":"One Health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"939","DOI":"10.20506\/rst.30.3.2088","article-title":"Chlamydophila psittaci and Chlamydophila pecorum infections in goats and sheep in Egypt","volume":"30","author":"Osman","year":"2011","journal-title":"Rev Sci Tech"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2428411","DOI":"10.1080\/21505594.2024.2428411","article-title":"Chlamydia psittaci: a zoonotic pathogen causing avian chlamydiosis and psittacosis","volume":"15","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Virulence"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e95430","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0095430","article-title":"Rural villagers and urban residents exposure to poultry in China","volume":"9","author":"Peng","year":"2014","journal-title":"PloS One"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-020-05091-7","article-title":"Live poultry market closure and avian influenza a (H7N9) infection in cities of China, 2013-2017: an ecological study","volume":"20","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"697","DOI":"10.2147\/IDR.S443953","article-title":"Clinical characteristics of Chlamydia psittaci infection diagnosed by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a retrospective multi-center study in Fujian, China","volume":"17","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Infect Drug Resist"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8051","DOI":"10.21037\/apm-21-1502","article-title":"Severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia: clinical characteristics and risk factors","volume":"10","author":"Su","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Palliat Med"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"519","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-017-2608-1","article-title":"Temporal and spatial analysis of psittacosis in association with poultry farming in the Netherlands, 2000-2015","volume":"17","author":"Hogerwerf","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1355","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2308.170640","article-title":"Preliminary epidemiology of human infections with highly pathogenic avian influenza a(H7N9) virus, China, 2017","volume":"23","author":"Zhou","year":"2017","journal-title":"Emerg Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0193052","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0193052","article-title":"An increasing trend of rural infections of human influenza a (H7N9) from 2013 to 2017: a retrospective analysis of patient exposure histories in Zhejiang province, China","volume":"13","author":"Chen","year":"2018","journal-title":"PloS One"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1526990\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]],"date-time":"2025-03-25T23:38:16Z","timestamp":1742945896000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1526990\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"references-count":30,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1526990"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1526990","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,25]]},"article-number":"1526990"}}