Zoonoses surveillance. Psittacosis : annual summary, 1964

During 1964, there were 53 cases of psittacosis in man reported from 20 States.For the past 8 years, the reported incidence of human psittacosis either declined or remained unchanged. This year, the number of cases decreased from 76 to 53. This trend is probably a result of declining incidence of infection in pet birds, particularly parakeets. However, the principal sources of human psittacosis infection in 1964 were parakeets and pigeons. Poultry outbreaks, such as the turkey epizootics responsible for sizable numbers of human cases in 1954, 1956, 1958, and 1961, did not occur during 1964.I. Summary -- II. Incidence of human psittacosis, 1964 -- III. Control of animal reservoirs.196