human to bird illnesses

[TheNzJessie]

does anyone knwo if any illnesses/sickness that humans catch eg colds and flues can be passed onto your birds? i just realized i have done little research and just remove my birds from my room if im sick but i actually dont know anything about human to bird illnesses or even bird to human illnesses

can we catch anyone from our birds or can they catch anything from us?

[Michael]

There are a few rare things that can go each way but for the most part no. However, there are still many bacterial infections they can get so avoid giving them any food you chewed or kissing them where there can be transfer.

[Kim S]

The bird disease Psittacose is infectuous to people. Asos known as parrotdisease, ornithose or Chlamydophila psittaci (here in holland anyway).
Humans show flu-like signs, varying from a slight cold to severe pnuemonia. Its not fatal to humans (unless it affects the elder or already ill people).
Birds oten show no signs. If the disease does affect them they will stop eating, dehydrate and die pretty quickly. Sometimes the birds just die without showing symptoms.

I dont do research either. But a friend of mine got this disease, so I know a bit about it.

[birdvet]

The bird disease Psittacose is infectuous to people. Asos known as parrotdisease, ornithose or Chlamydophila psittaci (here in holland anyway).
Humans show flu-like signs, varying from a slight cold to severe pnuemonia. Its not fatal to humans (unless it affects the elder or already ill people).
Birds oten show no signs. If the disease does affect them they will stop eating, dehydrate and die pretty quickly. Sometimes the birds just die without showing symptoms.

I dont do research either. But a friend of mine got this disease, so I know a bit about it.

Chlamydophila has now been renamed back to Chlamydia psittaci...(soooo annoying, these taxonomists can't seem to make up their minds ).
It is a very serious disease for birds and humans and can kill both. People can die from the severe pneumonia which is only responsive to doxycycline and erythromycin. If you are suspicious you have this disease it is imperative that you emphasise to your physician that you've had contact with birds as most doctors don't have this disease on their differential diagnosis list so won't treat with appropriate antibiotics.

In birds it can show no signs, discharge from eyes, swollen sinuses, discharge from nares, lethargy, sick-bird look (fluffed, sleepy etc etc). Weight loss, swollen abdomen, painful abdomen, very green droppings with green urates etc etc. It may only affect the respiratory tract but usually affects liver and spleen resulting in enlargement of these organs (hence the swollen abdomen). The birds will be very sick and most will die without treatment. Doxcycline for 45 days is the treatment protocol.

It is a VERY serious disease (I emphasise again ) so not to be taken lightly.

However, to get back on track and answer the original question. Michael is correct, most things that birds catch from us are bacterial diseases. However, it pays to be cautious when you have flu as all flu variants (that humans get as well) are actually avian influenza (AI). There are multiple types, you would all be familiar with the one called Bird Flu (H5N1) (they're all in fact bird flu so that's a dumb name), H5N1 is the highly pathogenic avian influenza so that's why it gets so much press...and Swine Flu (H1N1) which is also in fact avian flu so that's an even dumber name /. Although, in their defence I now think they name it Influenza A which is still ambigous as they're all actually Influenza A (A does not stand for Avian by the way, just to confuse matters even more... ). There are multiple combinations (15 H's and 9 N's I believe) so that leads to many many combinations eg H1N9, H4N2, H5N9 - you get the idea . Some are more pathogenic than others (H1N1 and H5N1).

Anywho, what I was trying to get at (after that long winded summary of AI- and that is a summary, it is much much more complicated and I won't even pretend to be a virologist and explain it in any more detail ) is that you're doing the right thing by being cautious when you're sick because there is a chance your birds could catch the flu virus from you!

Right, back to work for me

[Kim S]

Thanks for correcting me, I didnt know it was that serious. My friend made it sound like a simple flu

[birdvet]

No worries . You were right in saying that it affects mainly very young, old and immunocompromised people but I know lots of healthy young adults in the prime of their life that have been struck down. It is super easy to treat and your friend probably improved within hours after receiving the correct treatment so that's likely why it didn't seem like a big deal .

I've been lucky...been exposed countless numbers of times and (touch wood!) not been infected yet! I must have a wicked immune system