Copyright
©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Clustering cases of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia mimicking COVID-19 pneumonia
Wei Zhao, Lei He, Xing-Zhi Xie, Xuan Liao, De-Jun Tong, Shang-Jie Wu, Jun Liu
Wei Zhao, Xuan Liao, Jun Liu, Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Wei Zhao, Jun Liu, Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hunan Province, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Lei He, Department of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Yueyang, Yueyang 410005, Hunan Province, China
Xing-Zhi Xie, Department of Radiology, Hunan Chest Hospital, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
De-Jun Tong, Hospital Infection Control Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Shang-Jie Wu, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhao W, He L, Xie X, Liao X, Tong D, Wu S and Liu J designed and performed the research; Zhao W analyzed the data; Zhao W and Liu J wrote the manuscript; all authors provided input on the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82102157; Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 2021JJ40895; the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province, No. 2020SK53423; and the Clinical Research Center For Medical Imaging in Hunan Province, No. 2020SK4001.
Institutional review board statement: This retrospective study was approved by our Medical Ethical Committee (Approved No. 2020024), which waived the requirement for patients’ informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Jun Liu, MD, Professor, Department of Radiology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No. 139 Middle Remin Road, Changsha 410011, Hunan Province, China. junliu123@csu.edu.cn
Received: July 18, 2021
Peer-review started: July 18, 2021
First decision: October 11, 2021
Revised: October 11, 2021
Accepted: November 14, 2021
Article in press: November 14, 2021
Published online: December 26, 2021
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background
Psittacosis, a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Chlamydia (C.) psittaci, is rarely diagnosed in clinical and can mimic the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the differences in laboratory tests and imaging features between psittacosis and COVID-19 remain unknown.
Research motivation
We want to share the experiences of two clusters of cases with C. psittaci infection and hope the experience may contribute a little to fight the outbreak of COVID-19.
Research objectives
Here we report two clusters of cases with C. psittaci infection which mimicking COVID-19 with the aim to better understand the two diseases and then make an early diagnosis and treatment.
Research methods
We reported a cluster of 4 cases (medical staffs) confirmed with psittacosis. The clinical characteristics, laboratory tests and CT imaging findings were comprehensively investigated and compared with patients confirmed as COVID-19.
Research results
The two diseases have different characteristics regarding lab tests and imaging features. In patients with COVID-19, the white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count and calcium were more likely to be decreased and have vascular enlargement. In patients with psittacosis. Lymphocyte count and platelet count were higher and lesions presented on CT images were more likely to be unilateral, involve fewer lung lobes and have pleural effusions.
Research conclusions
Psittacosis has the potential ability of human-to-human transmission. Patients with psittacosis present increased WBC count, neutrophil count and have specify CT imaging findings, including unilateral distribution, less involvement lung lobes and pleural effusions, which might help us to differentiate it from COVID-19 in clinical practice.
Research perspectives
Firstly, including more samples to further investigate the two diseases and support the conclusion. Secondly, including more kinds of pneumonia caused by other viruses to better diagnose the COVID-19.
