---
title: "From Vector To Zoonotic: A Glossary For Infectious Diseases"
description: from NPR, February 14, 2017 by Natalie Jacewicz; image by Katherine Du/NPR The world is in a hyperinfectious era. And that means there are a lot of words b
---

[News ](https://www.globallymealliance.org/news)

# [From Vector To Zoonotic: A Glossary For Infectious Diseases](https://www.globallymealliance.org/news/vector-zoonotic-glossary-infectious-diseases)

 Written by [Global Lyme Alliance](https://www.globallymealliance.org/news/author/glalyme) | Feb 22, 2017 5:00:00 AM

*from NPR, February 14, 2017 by Natalie Jacewicz; image by Katherine Du/NPR* The world is in a hyperinfectious era. And that means there are a lot of words being tossed around that you might not be familiar with. Or maybe you have a general idea of what they mean but wish you knew more. Here are some key terms and definitions. And yes, there will be a quiz (coming in March so you have time to study). **Epidemic:** A sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease in a particular geographic area, beyond the number health officials typically expect. An increase that occurs in a relatively small geographic area or among a small group of people may be called an "outbreak." For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls HIV/AIDS, which affects 1.2 million people in the United States, an " [epidemic](https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/todaysepidemic-508.pdf)." By contrast, the CDC called two cases of sickness from drinking raw milk ( [listeriosis](https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/)) in the United States an " [outbreak](https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/raw-milk-03-16/index.html)." **Pandemic:** An epidemic spanning many countries and/or several continents. The difference between an outbreak, an epidemic and a pandemic can be murky and depends on the opinions of scientists and health officials. **Emerging disease: ** A disease that occurs in the population of a certain geographic region for the first time, or a disease that's been present at low levels in a region but then rapidly reaches new peaks in the number of cases reported. **Animal-human interface: **The points of contact between animals and humans — when people cut down forests and set up dwellings where forest animals are still prevalent, for example. Some types of diseases spread from animals to humans at this interface. (Note: In all these definitions "animal" refers to nonhuman animals.) **Reservoir:** An animal, plant or environment in which a disease can persist for long periods of time. For example, some bats serve as a reservoir for rabies and can spread the disease by biting humans. But the bats — and other reservoir species — may not experience symptoms because of built-in immunity. A disease reservoir is analogous to a water reservoir. But instead of supplying water, a disease reservoir serves as a supply for a virus or other pathogen. **Vector: ** Any living creature that can pass an infection to another living creature. Humans are technically vectors, but the term is more commonly applied to nonhuman organisms. **Spillover: ** The transmission of a disease from one species to another. Sometimes a disease may reside in a plant or animal or even in soil,and then spread to humans. This spread of disease is called a "spillover event." **Index case: **The first case of a disease known to health officials. Some epidemiologists may refer to an index case as "patient zero." [Read the entire list on NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/02/14/512875686/from-vector-to-zoonotic-a-glossary-for-infectious-diseases)

[View full post](https://www.globallymealliance.org/news/vector-zoonotic-glossary-infectious-diseases)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Global Lyme Alliance"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2021-02-26T18:22:41.599Z",
  "datePublished" : "2017-02-22T05:00:00Z",
  "headline" : "From Vector To Zoonotic: A Glossary For Infectious Diseases",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 281,
    "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/6034706/Imported_Blog_Media/npr_vectors_final_vibrance.jpg",
    "width" : 500
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.globallymealliance.org/news/vector-zoonotic-glossary-infectious-diseases",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "News"
  }
}
```