1. A genus of obligate intracellular bacteria formerly classified as viruses, now known to cause psittacosis and other infections in birds and mammals.
Usage: microbiology; medical; largely historical; the genus has been reclassified and is now considered part of Chlamydia

Examples

• Bedsonia was originally thought to be a virus before electron microscopy revealed its bacterial nature.
• The organism now classified as Chlamydia psittaci was once called Bedsonia psittaci.
• Researchers studying avian diseases encountered Bedsonia in infected parrot populations.
• Modern taxonomy has largely replaced the term Bedsonia with more specific Chlamydia classifications.