psittacosis

Term: psittacosis

Literally meaning: “state of a sick parrot”

Origin: Anc Greek

ψιττάκη/psitaci(=parrot)

+(-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

Psittacosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a gram-negative intracellular bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci and contracted from parrots. Infection by nonpsittacine birds is called ornithosis.