A curable bacterial disease that can affect BOTH humans and birds. It's also called "Parrot Fever", "Chlamydiosis", and "Ornithosis". Psittacosis is spread through inhalation of feather and fecal dust. Bacterial tests are used to detect it. The disease manifests itself with flu-like symptoms in people. Infected birds are quarantined (isolated) and treated with Tetracycline or another broad-spectrum antibiotic.
In medicine (pulmonology), psittacosis -- also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis -- is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci (formerly Chlamydia psittaci) and contracted not only from parrots, macaws, cockatiels and parakeets, but also from pigeons, sparrows, ducks, hens, sea gulls etc. The incidence of infection in canaries and finches is believed to be lower than in psittacine birds.