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Urgent I don't know what to do next, I feel sooo helpless!!! :-(

Kimmie

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I would recommend an asper titer. The throat swab may grow something but it may not be the same growth in her air sacs. Does she have a good diet? Mucus is often a sign of low vitamin A.
Yes, I feed her Zupreem natural pellets and Tropicana stick pellets. She doesn't get veggies/fruit daily but she does get them, yes. Bella has been on a vitamin I shake in her water everyday since the end of November, start of December??? What should I be giving her for a good vitamin A intake???
 

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Adding fresh foods like sweet peppers, sweet potato, carrot, dark leafy greens etc would be enough to increase your vit A. Powdered vitamins and supplements can be easily overdosed, fresh form vitamins can not be overdosed.
 

Kimmie

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UPDATE.... My Vet got the results from Bella's throat culture test and she has Streptococcus pneumoniae. She is on another antibiotic 4x/day for 15 days. The blood work hasn't come back yet for lead poisoning. I am sooo happy that I finally have some answers, this has been beyond stressful!!! The Vet doesn't know where she got it from and I called her back asking some more questions as I have had a nasty cough since Sept when I got sick and haven't been able to get rid of it! I spoke to my doctor a month or so about it and he sent me for xrays, they came back normal. I tried to explain to him that this cough comes directly from my lungs and I go into a coughing fit and can literally feel my lungs rumbling. This virus is contagious to humans and vice versa so I have another doctor's appt on Fri :)
 

LunaLovebird

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I don't think that Streptococcus pneumoniae is generally considered to be zoonotic, so I think that you giving it to your fid is unlikely. Maybe not impossible though, so who knows. You would need to do a DNA test on both the strain infecting you and your bird to know for sure though, even if you did have it.
 

enigma731

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Bacteria absolutely are zoonotic. Viruses are not. It's unlikely that you'll ever know conclusively whether you gave it to her or she gave it to you, but I'm glad you got answers and I hope you're both feeling better soon!
 

Kimmie

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I don't think that Streptococcus pneumoniae is generally considered to be zoonotic, so I think that you giving it to your fid is unlikely. Maybe not impossible though, so who knows. You would need to do a DNA test on both the strain infecting you and your bird to know for sure though, even if you did have it.
It is zoonotic :) I know I didn't give it to Bella because she has had these episodes longer that before the fall. She may have given it to me??? IDK...my brain is sooo tired from worrying and research LOL. I'm going to mention this result to my doc on Fri anyways.
 

Kimmie

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Bacteria absolutely are zoonotic. Viruses are not. It's unlikely that you'll ever know conclusively whether you gave it to her or she gave it to you, but I'm glad you got answers and I hope you're both feeling better soon!
Yes, I think I mentioned "Virus" and I shouldn't have...You are absolutely right, so many things, even another pet can pass it on :-( Thank-you....I sure hope Bella is on the road to recovery as well, I have been worrying myself sick with all this and not knowing what was wrong with my baby! Mama is always last to go see the Doc LOL :)
 

LunaLovebird

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Bacteria absolutely are zoonotic. Viruses are not. It's unlikely that you'll ever know conclusively whether you gave it to her or she gave it to you, but I'm glad you got answers and I hope you're both feeling better soon!
That is absolutely not true. Many are, but certainly not all.

It is zoonotic :) I know I didn't give it to Bella because she has had these episodes longer that before the fall. She may have given it to me??? IDK...my brain is sooo tired from worrying and research LOL. I'm going to mention this result to my doc on Fri anyways.
Are you sure? The most I've been able to find in an admittedly quick google search is that some strains are possibly a rising zoonotic threat, but most all sources say that it isn't. I'd be interested in your information.

In any case, get well soon!
 

Kimmie

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That is absolutely not true. Many are, but certainly not all.



Are you sure? The most I've been able to find in an admittedly quick google search is that some strains are possibly a rising zoonotic threat, but most all sources say that it isn't. I'd be interested in your information.

In any case, get well soon!
Yes, I'm sure. Go back on Google and type in Streptococcus pneumoniae :)
 

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Yes, I'm sure. Go back on Google and type in Streptococcus pneumoniae :)
...I did. This is why I was asking where you got your information from. I'm genuinely just curious.
 

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...I did. This is why I was asking where you got your information from. I'm genuinely just curious.
Because we are bird people and read everything.....sigh.

I've started googling everything bird related myself.
 

enigma731

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I'm a human medical provider, for what it's worth. ;)

(You are correct that it's an oversimplification to say all bacteria are zoonotic. But, since many of them are, it's a good rule of thumb to treat all suspected bacterial infections as if they may be with regards to our birds.)
 

LunaLovebird

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I'm a human medical provider, for what it's worth. ;)

(You are correct that it's an oversimplification to say all bacteria are zoonotic. But, since many of them are, it's a good rule of thumb to treat all suspected bacterial infections as if they may be with regards to our birds.)
I agree that it is better to be safe and not go around licking your bird or anything, but that doesn't really address my comment. I am asking for specific sources that confirm S. pneumoniae as being zoonotic. I am more than willing to believe that it is - I know many other streptococcal species are (I have colleagues who work with a few) - but I haven't been able to find anything conclusive and so I was wondering where the OP got their information from to know for sure that it was. It doesn't need to be such a debate.

This is getting off topic though, so I'm just going to leave it here.
 

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Just an anecdotal experience, not scientific. I was very ill with severe bronchitis and one of my 'tiels came down with pneumonia...bacterial strain, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Not saying it was related but seemed more than a coincidence. There are some strains of bacteria that can be passed from humans to birds. Now when I am ill I mask and sometimes glove when I feed and clean the birds.

Hope that Bella will be better soon.
 
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camelotshadow

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Google does have alot of info but its best for trying to get direction.
All diagnosis should be preformed by a Dr or Vet.

Seems there are at least 90 subtypes of this bacteria & they can cause all sorts of illness. Sometimes people carry the bacteria without symptom too.

Pneumococcal Disease | Clinical | Features | CDC



The bacterial meningitis is scary...

Meningitis

Pneumococci cause over 50% of all cases of bacterial meningitis in the United States. An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis occur each year. Some patients with pneumococcal meningitis also have pneumonia. The clinical symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profile, and neurologic complications are similar to other forms of purulent bacterial meningitis. Symptoms may include headache, lethargy, vomiting, irritability, fever, nuchal rigidity, cranial nerve signs, seizures, and coma. The case-fatality rate of pneumococcal meningitis is about 8% among children and 22% among adults. Neurologic sequelae are common among survivors. Persons with a cochlear implant appear to be at increased risk of pneumococcal meningitis.

With the decline of invasive Hib disease, S. pneumoniae has become the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among children younger than 5 years old in the United States. Before routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, children younger than 1 year old had the highest rates of pneumococcal meningitis, approximately 10 cases per 100,000 population.


Glad there is some progress with Bella & I'd advise you to have your Dr look further into that cough especially if you have had it so long.

 

Kimmie

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Google does have alot of info but its best for trying to get direction.
All diagnosis should be preformed by a Dr or Vet.

Seems there are at least 90 subtypes of this bacteria & they can cause all sorts of illness. Sometimes people carry the bacteria without symptom too.

Pneumococcal Disease | Clinical | Features | CDC



The bacterial meningitis is scary...

Meningitis

Pneumococci cause over 50% of all cases of bacterial meningitis in the United States. An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 cases of pneumococcal meningitis occur each year. Some patients with pneumococcal meningitis also have pneumonia. The clinical symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profile, and neurologic complications are similar to other forms of purulent bacterial meningitis. Symptoms may include headache, lethargy, vomiting, irritability, fever, nuchal rigidity, cranial nerve signs, seizures, and coma. The case-fatality rate of pneumococcal meningitis is about 8% among children and 22% among adults. Neurologic sequelae are common among survivors. Persons with a cochlear implant appear to be at increased risk of pneumococcal meningitis.

With the decline of invasive Hib disease, S. pneumoniae has become the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among children younger than 5 years old in the United States. Before routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, children younger than 1 year old had the highest rates of pneumococcal meningitis, approximately 10 cases per 100,000 population.


Glad there is some progress with Bella & I'd advise you to have your Dr look further into that cough especially if you have had it so long.
Just an anecdotal experience, not scientific. I was very ill with severe bronchitis and one of my 'tiels came down with pneumonia...bacterial strain, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Not saying it was related but seemed more than a coincidence. There are some strains of bacteria that can be passed from humans to birds. Now when I am ill I mask and sometimes glove when I feed and clean the birds.

Hope that Bella will be better soon.
Great information.....Yes, this is exactly what has happened to me! Like I said I got a cold back in the fall but what was really weird about it is I only had the cold symptoms for 2-3 days...sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose, can't breath etc etc then it went directly to my lungs!!! I went to the walk in clinic twice over a 2 month time period...I was put on an antibiotic the first time, didn't do much. The second time I went he put me on a stronger antibiotic, Prednisone (steroid) and prescription cough medicine and also a stronger puffer. I slowlyyyy got better BUT I still have this damn cough that I can not shake(I have even had chest xrays and they were normal) and I literally go into coughing fits where I almost vomit as it is coming more from my lungs and I can feel them rattle (it's very bronchular, if this is making any sense LOL) it's not like it starts off as a tickle in my throat and I cough. I went to the Dr's this morning and explained all this of what Bella's test results were and basically he said just like our birds, you can be tested for these bacteria infections and still get a "negative" result. He gave me an antibiotic to see if it helps. I don't know that I have what Bella has but I have never had this kind of cough in my life and been sick for sooo long!!! I have a few more symptoms as well that are with this bacteria infection...it may be coincidence, it may not but I figure I'm darn tired of this coughing and I don't want Bella and I to be passing this back and forth :) P.S. When I went to the clinic twice the Dr there said Bronchitis. I just also find it very coincidental that I have excessive amounts of mucous at times (UGH Gross!) and when the Vet did Bella's throat swab for the culture, she said Bella had a lot of mucous in the back of her throat.
 
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LunaLovebird

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Here is some information about streptococcus pneumoniae being zoonotic - but from human to animal, not visa versa.

Handbook of Zoonoses, Second Edition: Bacterial, Rickettsial, Chlamydial ... - Google Books
Thank you. As you say, this mentions that it appears animals can catch it from humans, but also says that it does not appear to be zoonotic (this would be transmission in the other direction).

I asked a few colleagues about it also. Their response was that you could probably pass the bacteria from parrots to humans, but actual colonisation and infection resulting in illness was a whole other thing. A friend with a background in medicine also told me that it is passed through droplets, meaning that you would need to injest saliva or mucus from a parrot to be infected by one. His response:

Imho, you could indeed adopt the bacterium from the parrot. That's something totally different from allowing it to colonize, let alone infect, actually. S. pneumoniae is part of the commensal flora in your nasopharynx and causes no harm in most cases, though is a professional invader and one of the three most important causes of airway infections (this one and H. influenzae are also quite infamous for meningitis), along with Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae (infernal trio)... But as long as there's no opportunity for them to really infect you, there's no opportunity to get sick from them so ... infection from a parrot? No, unles you give it good conditions to.

Oh and btw, the pneumococcus is transmissioned by droplets, so unless you actively collect parrot saliva or snot (do parrots sneeze?), don't worry.
So while it doesn't especially matter, I'm still going with it being rather unlikely (though perhaps not impossible) that you caught S. pneumoniae from your bird.

Do get well though. I once had a respiratory infection that went on with horrible coughing and the like for 6 weeks. Not great when my job at the time was primarily on phones!

How is Bella doing?
 
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