Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29854568›Full record

ArticlePLoS currents2018

A Psittacosis Outbreak among English Office Workers with Little or No Contact with Birds, August 2015.

John Mair-Jenkins, Tracey Lamming, Andy Dziadosz, Daniel Flecknoe, Thomas Stubington, Massimo Mentasti, Peter Muir, Philip Monk

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS currents, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Rapid diagnosis ofExperimental and therapeutic medicine · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Observational
  7. Atypical pneumonia caused by Chlamydia psittaci during the COVID-19 pandemic.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2022
    Article
  8. Clinical diagnosis and etiology of patients withFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022
    Article
  9. A cluster of Psittacosis cases in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China, in 2021.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022
    Article
  10. A Review of Chlamydial Infections in Wild Birds.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

John Mair-JenkinsField Epidemiology Training Programme, Public Health England, Nottingham, United Kingdom; European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden; Field Epidemiology Service, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Tracey LammingPublic Health England East Midlands, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Andy DziadoszEnvironmental Health, Ashfield District Council, United Kingdom, United Kingdom.
Daniel FlecknoePublic Health England East Midlands, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Thomas StubingtonPublic Health England Midlands, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Massimo MentastiBacteriology Reference Department, Respiratory and Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Reference Unit, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
Peter MuirPublic Health Laboratory Bristol, National Infection Service, Public Health England, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Philip MonkPublic Health England East Midlands, Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionOn 14th August 2015 an office manager informed Public Health England of five employees known to have been diagnosed with pneumonia over the previous three weeks. We investigated to establish whether an outbreak occurred and to identify and control the source of infection.

methodsWe undertook case finding for self-reported pneumonia cases at local businesses (July-August 2015). Clinical samples from a hospitalised case were tested for common respiratory pathogens, but returned negative results. Further testing confirmed

resultsWe identified six office workers with pneumonia; four met case definitions (three confirmed, one probable) with symptom onset between 29th July and 4th August 2015. Workplace was the only epidemiological link and only one case reported limited, indirect bird contact. Environmental investigations identified pigeons roosting near the office which were being fed by workers (none cases). DISCUSSION: This was a probable outbreak of psittacosis with no direct bird-to-human contact reported. Cases recovered after receiving appropriate antibiotics. Feeding of pigeons was stopped. A deep clean of office ventilation systems was conducted and workers were advised to avoid bird contact.  We hypothesised that indirect environmental exposure to infected pigeons was to the source of this outbreak. This work provides evidence that health professionals should consider psittacosis in the differential diagnosis of cases of severe or atypical respiratory illness even without overt bird contact.

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.