Albinism in humans (from the
Latin albus, "white";
see , also called
achromia,
achromasia, or
achromatosis) is a
congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of
pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of
tyrosinase, a copper-containing enzyme involved in the production of
melanin. It is the opposite of
melanism. Unlike humans, other animals have multiple
pigments and for these,
albinism is considered to be a hereditary condition characterised by the absence of melanin in particular, in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, feathers or cuticle.
