ornithosis

Term: ornithosis

Literally meaning: “state of a sick bird”

Origin: Anc Greek

όρνις/ornis(=bird)

+(-ωσις)/-osis(=suffic denoting  process)

Coined/History

In 1892 by Morange who investigated an outbreak in Paris in 1892. More than half of the avian carriers are not members of the parrot family leading later to the use of other terms, such as ornithosis, for the disease.

Definition

Ornithosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci and contracted by nonpsittacine birds. Especially, infection caused by parrots is called psittacosis.