Chlamydia psittaci Meningitis, Chile, 2023

The article describes a confirmed case of meningitis caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci in a 50-year-old farmer from southern Chile, representing the first such case reported in Latin America. The patient worked as a tractor operator on a dairy farm with contact to cattle and had wild parrots and domestic chickens present on the farm. The disease manifested with fever above 38°C, muscle pain, chills, headache, and painful swallowing. Diagnosis was confirmed using PCR and serology from cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was treated intravenously with ceftriaxone, ampicillin, dexamethasone, and acyclovir and recovered after treatment. The case highlights the need to consider zoonotic pathogens in atypical meningitis.