psittacosis

psittacosis definition - medical

psit·ta·co·sis (sĭtˌə-kōˈsĭs)

noun
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. Also called parrot fever.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.