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

1895–1900; < Latin psittac(us) parrot (< Greek psittakós) + -osis

Words nearby psittacosis

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-kōsĭs ]

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