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Chlamydia psittaci & Ocular Adnexal MALT Lymphoma: An association has been noted between ocular adnexal MALT lymphomas and Psittacosis (aka Parrot Fever; psittakos = greek word for parrot). The causative organism has been detected by PCR and isolated in vitro from patients with ocular MALT lymphomas but not from healthy controls. In a small series of cases, the lymphomas completely regressed with doxycycline therapy. There are huge geographical variations in this association, with high prevalence in Italy and South Korea and a much lower rate in the US.

The causative agent Chlamydia psittaci is an obligate intracellular, gram-negative bacterium that normally affects birds. Less commonly, it can cause a mild respiratory infection or pneumonia in humans who inhale dust from dried droppings or respiratory secretions from infected birds.

Left panel shows adult scarlet macaw; image credit Eric Grafman, CDC, public domain.

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