psittacosis
[ sit-uh-koh-sis ]
/ ˌsɪt əˈkoʊ sɪs /
noun Pathology.
a rickettsial disease affecting birds of the parrot family, pigeons, and domestic fowl, caused by the chlamydia Chlamydia psittaci and transmissible to humans.
Also called
ornithosis,
parrot fever.
Origin of psittacosis
Words nearby psittacosis
psilosis,
psis,
psittacine,
psittacinite,
psittacism,
psittacosis,
psi′ particle,
psk,
pskov,
psl,
psni
British Dictionary definitions for psittacosis
psittacosis
/ (ˌsɪtəˈkəʊsɪs) /
noun
a disease of parrots, caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Chlamydia psittaci, that can be transmitted to man, in whom it produces inflammation of the lungs and pneumonia
Also called: parrot fever, ornithosis
Word Origin for psittacosis
C19: from New Latin, from Latin
psittacus a parrot, from Greek
psittakos; see
-osis
Medical definitions for psittacosis
psittacosis
[ sĭt′ə-kō′sĭs ]
n.
An infectious disease of parrots and related birds that is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci and that is communicable to humans, in whom it produces high fever, severe headache, and symptoms similar to pneumonia.
parrot fever