ornithosis
Definition
Noun: 1. A disease of humans: A specific type of atypical pneumonia (a lung infection with symptoms different from typical bacterial pneumonia) caused by a microorganism of the genus Chlamydia and transmitted to humans from infected birds.
Usage Notes
- Ornithosis is a technical medical term used in healthcare, veterinary medicine, and biology.
- It refers specifically to the human disease. The related disease in birds is often called psittacosis or "parrot fever," though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
- It is classified as a zoonosis, meaning an infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Examples
- The patient was diagnosed with ornithosis after reporting flu-like symptoms and recent contact with sick pigeons.
- Public health officials investigated an outbreak of ornithosis among poultry farm workers.
- Ornithosis can be treated effectively with antibiotics if diagnosed early.
Advanced Usage
- Epidemiology: In medical literature, ornithosis is discussed in the context of epidemiology, transmission vectors (such as inhaling dust from dried bird droppings or feathers), and outbreak control.
- Example: The study focused on the epidemiology of ornithosis in urban environments with large feral bird populations.
Variants and Related Words
- Psittacosis (noun): Often used synonymously with ornithosis, though it originally referred specifically to the disease contracted from parrots (psittacine birds). In current usage, psittacosis is the more common term for the human infection in many medical contexts.
- Chlamydiosis (noun): A broader term for diseases caused by bacteria, which can include ornithosis in birds and other infections in various species.
Synonyms
- Parrot fever (common, non-technical name)
- Avian chlamydiosis (when referring to the bird infection)
Word Origin
From modern Latin, combining ornitho- (from Greek ornis, ornith- meaning 'bird') + -osis (a suffix forming nouns denoting a diseased condition). The word literally means "a diseased condition originating from birds."
Noun
- an atypical pneumonia caused by a rickettsia microorganism and transmitted to humans from infected birds
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