Metagenomic next-generation sequencing identified psittacosis among poultry processing workers in Shandong Province, China

Human infection with Chlamydia psittaci is rare but difficult to recognize. We report an outbreak of psittacosis among poultry processing workers in China. We applied metagenomic next-generation sequencing and identified Chlamydia psittaci reads from samples of all seven patients, four of which were subsequently confirmed by PCR. Epidemiological results suggested that the poultry processed in the factory was the possible source of human infection.