Epidemiology 1: Veterinary Epidemiology Foundational Concepts Flashcards
Define epidemiology
study of distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations and the development of strategies to improve health and productivity
Explain what the epidemiologic triad is
host, environment, agent
What does the balance of the epidemiologic triad depend on?
individuals
What are examples of host determinants?
demographics, physiologic state, genetics, immune status, behaviors
What are examples of environment determinants?
Climate/weather
vectors
socioeconomic
management
sanitation
What are examples of determinant agents?
microparasites
macroparasites
toxins
physical injury
What is incidence and how is it calculated?
Rate of occurrence of new cases
new cases/population at risk (during specific time interval)
Is incidence or prevalence based only on animals without disease the start of the interval
incidence
Measures the risk or probability of BECOMING a case
incidence
_________ is important for predicting future impact of disease
incidence
How would you calculate prevalence?
current cases/population at risk (at certain point in time)
What is the relationship between prevalence and incidence?
prevalence = incidence * duration
______ includes new and old cases
prevalence
Measures risk of being a case rather than becoming a case
prevalence
Which method, prevalence or incidence is used for serologic studies?
prevalence
What is the difference between point prevalence and period prevalence?
Point prevalence is # of cases at one point whereas period prevalence is single exam of individuals seen over a period of time
What is an epidemic curve?
plot frequency distribution of new cases over time
What type of information is summarized in an epidemic curve?
type of temporal pattern (sporadic, endemic, epidemic)
incubation period
state of epidemic
case counts
How could cases potentially be connected?
direct contact
respiratory
fecal-oral
foodborne
waterborne
vectorborne
sexual
bloodborne
vertical
xenograft
What are the two types of population data?
Measurement (quantitative)
Count (Categorical or qualitative)
What are examples of measurement/quantitative data?
weight, hematocrit, BUN, age, survival time, titer
What are examples of count/categorical/qualitative data?
breed, sex, pos/neg, old/young, healthy/sick/dead
How would you determine the magnitude of the problem and determine if an animal is “normal” or not?
compare to apparently healthy animals (blood sera)
When comparing “normal” animals what could some potential reasons be for abnormalities?
Differences in observer, diet, environment/weather
What are ways in which a vet can improve health in populations?
Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
Clinical trials
Define primary prevention
an action preventing development of disease in an animal who is healthy
Define secondary prevention
identifies an animal with disease at a point early enough to prevent symptoms
Define tertiary prevention
prevention of complications in animals who have disease
