epizootic disease

An epizootic is an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of the same kind simultaneously. It is essentially an animal epidemic. Epizootiology is the science that studies the factors controlling the occurrence of animal diseases and their pathogens. It examines the character, ecology, and causes of these outbreaks.123

Epizootic diseases generally represent an unstable relationship between the causative agent and the affected animals, occurring at higher than normal rates in animal populations. This contrasts with endemic (or enzootic) diseases, which are normally present in an area and reflect a more stable relationship. Epidemiology, the study of epidemics, can be considered the medical aspect of ecology, focusing on disease in animal populations and the interactions between organisms and their environments.2