Psittacosis the 1920s–1930s outbreak in humans, a specific reservoir for serovar E has not been identified. The M56 and WC serovars were isolated during outbreaks in mammals. Treatment is usually with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or tetracycline, and can be administered through drops in the water or injections. Many strains of "C. psittaci" are susceptible to bacteriophages. Psittacosis was one of more than a dozen agents that the United States researched as potential biological weapons before the nation suspended its biological weapons program. The most high-profile death caused by parrot fever is that of Thea Selway, mother of Radiohead drummer and
Disease in colonial America and is extremely contagious, for it is spread by physical contact and affects children and adults alike. Smallpox was contagious, disfiguring, and often deadly. The epidemics of the disease were recurrent, devastating, and frequent. A particularly virulent sequence of smallpox outbreaks took place in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1636 to 1698, Boston endured six epidemics. In 1721, the most severe epidemic occurred. The entire population fled the city, bringing the virus to the rest of the Thirteen Colonies. Colonists tried to prevent the spread of smallpox by isolation and inoculation. Inoculation caused a mild form of the disease; it was new