Epizootiology

Epizootiology studies the distribution, causes, and control of disease in animal populations. It applies population-level methods to animal health, including infectious and noninfectious conditions.

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Disease transmission: The movement of a disease-causing agent between hosts or from an environmental source to a host. Transmission pathways explain how infections move through animal populations.
Incidence: The occurrence of new cases in a population during a specified period. Incidence measures how quickly new disease cases arise in animal populations.
Veterinary medicine: The medical discipline concerned with preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease in animals. Epizootiology provides population-level evidence that complements care for individual animals.
Epidemiology: The study of health-related conditions and events in populations, including their distribution and determinants. Epizootiology applies population epidemiology specifically to animal disease.
Basic reproduction number: The expected number of secondary infections caused by one infectious individual in a wholly susceptible population. It estimates whether an infection can spread through a susceptible animal population.
Prevalence: The proportion of a population with a condition at a specified time or over a period. Prevalence captures the existing burden of disease in an animal population.
Veterinary public health: The application of veterinary science to protect human health and community well-being. Animal disease patterns can signal threats to people and guide coordinated prevention.
Human epidemiology: The study of disease and health events in human populations. Its population methods parallel epizootiology, but its host populations are human.
Force of infection: The instantaneous rate at which susceptible individuals acquire an infection. It quantifies the rate at which animals become infected over time.
Morbidity: Illness or disease within a population, often measured by case counts or rates. Morbidity records disease burden separately from deaths.