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Volume 25, Number 11—November 2019
Research Letter

Psittacosis Outbreak among Workers at Chicken Slaughter Plants, Virginia and Georgia, USA, 2018

Kelly A. Shaw1Comments to Author , Christine M. Szablewski1, Stephanie Kellner, Laura Kornegay, Patricia Bair, Skyler Brennan, Audrey Kunkes, Meredith Davis, Olivia L. McGovern, Jonas Winchell, Miwako Kobayashi, Nancy Burton, Marie A. de Perio, Julie Gabel, Cherie Drenzek, Julia Murphy, Caroline Holsinger, and Laurie Forlano
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (K.A. Shaw, C.M. Szablewski, O.L. McGovern, J. Winchell, M. Kobayashi); Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia, USA (K.A. Shaw, S. Kellner, L. Kornegay, P. Bair, M. Davis, J. Murphy, C. Holsinger, L. Forlano); Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta (C.M. Szablewski, S. Brennan, A. Kunkes, J. Gabel, C. Drenzek); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (N. Burton, M.A. de Perio)

Main Article

Table

Characteristics of chicken slaughter plant workers tested during outbreak of psittacosis, Virginia and Georgia, United States, 2018

Characteristic No. (%) workers
Confirmed, n = 13 Other, n = 67 All, n = 80
Sex
M 10 (77) 36 (54) 46 (58)
F
 3 (23)
 31 (46)
 34 (42)
Symptoms
Fever 13 (100) 57 (85) 70 (88)
Cough 11 (85) 52 (78) 63 (79)
Muscle aches 10 (77) 47 (70) 57 (71)
Headache 9 (69) 59 (88) 68 (85)
Chills 9 (69) 51 (76) 60 (75)
Gastrointestinal*
 6 (75)
 13 (59)
 19 (63)
Clinical
Radiologically confirmed pneumonia 13 (100) 30 (45) 43 (54)
Hospitalized 11 (85) 18 (27) 29 (36)
Intensive care
 3 (23)
 0
 3 (4)
Job duties†
Evisceration 8 (62) 34 (51) 42 (53)
Live-bird handling 3 (23) 6 (9) 9 (11)
Cleaning 2 (15) 5 (7) 7 (9)
Packing or shipping 1 (8) 13 (19) 14 (18)
Inspection or quality assurance 1 (8) 6 (9) 7 (9)
Other‡ 0 5 (7) 5 (6)

*Data for this symptom were not collected in Virginia; numbers reflect only Georgia numerators and denominators (confirmed, n = 8, other, n = 22; total, n = 30).
†In Virginia, 1 patient did not report job duty; in Georgia, 2 patients with confirmed illness and 3 other patients reported multiple job duties.
‡Includes maintenance and human resources (plant floor–based).

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: October 16, 2019
Page updated: October 16, 2019
Page reviewed: October 16, 2019
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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