Rare disease kills Amazon parrot
A rare but highly contagious avian disease that sickens birds and humans has killed an Amazon parrot purchased from a Spokane pet store.
The confirmed case of psittacosis, one of about a half dozen recorded this year in Washington, has fueled worries that humans might have been exposed to the respiratory disorder that can cause severe pneumonia and other health problems.
It also has sparked a furor among bird lovers upset over the death of Wrigley, a nine-month-old orange-winged Amazon.
For more than a week, accusations and insults about the handling of the bird have been traded freely in postings on the Spokane site for craigslist.org.
But Spokane Regional Health District officials said an investigation revealed no danger to people or other birds following the Nov. 10 death of the parrot, which was hatched in Missouri, processed by a wholesaler in Sandpoint and sold by the Bird Lover’s Outlet pet store, 206 1/2 Wellesley Ave.
“We looked at the bird shop. In our look at Bird Lover’s Outlet, there was not an issue,” said Dorothy MacEachern, an epidemiologist with the health district.
Health officials imposed no quarantine or other action on the pet store because no birds or people have fallen ill and because a month elapsed between the time the bird was sold and its death, said Shirley Broyles, also a health district epidemiologist.
“There’s nothing that links that particular bird to the shop,” Broyles said. “We can’t say absolutely.”
The bird was purchased in October, said Mark “Sparky” Settle, who has owned Bird Lover’s Outlet since 2001. Health officials said the Nov. 10 death was reported by a local veterinarian Nov. 17 and confirmed by laboratory test Dec. 1.
The death raises concerns about the spread of the disease that is typically confirmed in up to four people and a handful of birds each year in Washington. Actual infections are probably much higher, said Dr. Ron Wohrle, an environmental health veterinarian with the state Department of Health.
“It’s probably underdetected and underreported,” said Wohrle. “It’s the nemesis of the pet bird trade.”
Preventing psittacosis is important to avoid the bacterial infection that afflicted 935 people nationwide from 1988 to 2003, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last death in Washington associated with psittacosis occurred in 1989.
“It’s a public health concern,” Wohrle said.
State Board of Health officials expect to discuss strengthening state rules about psittacosis to match national standards, said Craig McLaughlin, the agency’s executive director.
Washington has not adopted guidelines, known as compendium, from the American Veterinary Medical Association, which recommend increased isolation and testing of exotic birds.
Settle, the pet shop owner, said he didn’t isolate the new bird or take other action because there was no indication of illness.
“We were just one of many stops in the life of this poor little bird,” he said. “No one can backtrack with absolute certainty.”
Settle acknowledged that his care of the bird has spawned dozens of postings to craigslist.org, including stinging criticism and stirring defense. Not everyone has appreciated the debate, however.
“Enough is enough already, please take your petty little squabble elsewhere,” read a Wednesday posting to the site.