Case Report: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing applied in diagnosing psittacosis caused by infection.

BACKGROUND

is the causative agent of psittacosis in humans, while its rapid identification is hampered due to the lack of specificity of laboratory testing methods.

CASE PRESENTATION

This study reports four cases of infection after contact with a domestic parrot, all belonging to the same family. Common manifestations like fever, cough, headache, nausea, and hypodynamia appeared in the patients. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) aided the etiological diagnosis of psittacosis, revealing 58318 and 7 sequence reads corresponding to in two cases. The detected was typed as ST100001 in the Multilocus-sequence typing (MLST) system, a novel strain initially reported. Based on the results of pathogenic identification by mNGS, the four patients were individually, treated with different antibiotics, and discharged with favorable outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In diagnosing psittacosis caused by a rare agent, mNGS provides rapid etiological identification, contributing to targeted antibiotic therapy and favorable outcomes. This study also reminds clinicians to raise awareness of psittacosis when encountering family members with a fever of unknown origin.