As you start to build your experience within the animal care industry, you will add skills, knowledge, and key terms to your animal care toolbox. Of course, you are not expected to speak the veterinary medical language fluently as soon as you begin, but you will need to know and understand some key terms. This is particularly important around safety, animal behaviour and infectious diseases.
Throughout this module, you will learn some of the important terms and what they mean concerning handling animal companions and infectious diseases.
Let us look at these terms and what they mean.
It is a good idea to keep yourself a glossary to refer to at any time when you are unsure of what specific terms may mean. The following table outlines the common key terms that you will need to help you establish your understanding of transmissible infections
| Key term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Companion animals | Companion animals are domesticated are commonly known as pets. Examples of companion animals may be, but are not limited to:
|
| Biosecurity | Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms such as viruses and bacteria, to animals and plants to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease. |
| Infectious | Infectious means able to be spread by infection. That is, the same as disease that spreads from one person to another. For example, Influenza can spread from one person to another |
| Contagious | Contagious means able to be passed from one person or animal to another by touching or having a sickness that can be passed to someone else by touching. |
| Zoonosis | Zoonosis means a disease which can be transmitted to humans from animals. |
| Pathogen | A pathogen is a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease. |
| Contaminant | Contaminant is a polluting or poisonous substance that makes something impure. |
