Clinical characteristics and treatment of 34 patients with non-severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia

OBJECTIVE To summarize the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment experiences in dealing with non-severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia.

METHODS The clinical data were collected from 34 patients who were diagnosed with non-severe C. psittaci pneumonia through quantitative polymerase chain reactiong (qPCR) for sputum in fever clinic of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from Mar. 2023 to Mar. 2024 and were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS The average age of the patients was (44.82±13.74)years old, the ratio of male to female was 1∶1.83; all of the patients had fever; major symptoms were cough (70.59%), pharyngodynia (44.12%), and flu-like symptoms (41.18%); 82.35% of the patients had the history of contact with poultry. The C-reactive protein (CRP) level, interleukin-6 (IL-6), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) were higher among the patients aged no less than 44 years old than among the patients less than 44 years old (P < 0.05); the percentage of lymphocytes of the patients aged no less than 44 years old was lower than that of the patients aged less than 44 years old (P < 0.05). As for the imaging findings, 73.53% of the patients had consolidation shadows, 26.47% had ground-glass opacities, and 32.35% involved both lungs. All of the patients received quinolones or tetracyclines for treatment of 7-14 days and all symptoms relieved. CT reexaminated 1 month after the treatment showed that 55.88% of the cases had complete absorption of pulmonary infectious lesions, and 35.29% had partial absorption.

CONCLUSIONS The patients with non-severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia are characterized by the history of contact with poultry, fever complicated with respiratory tract symptoms, rise of inflammatory markers (more significant among patients of advanced age) and lower lobe consolidation shadow/ground-glass opacities. Early identification and standardized treatment may facilitate the favorable treatment outcomes.