Relating to or describing a disease or infestation of external parasites that spreads rapidly through an animal population.
From 'epizoa' plus '-otic' (resembling or related to). The term parallels 'epizootic' to 'epidemic' but specifically for animal populations.
Epizootic outbreaks of parasites can collapse animal populations—and scientists realized that tracking epizootics in wildlife is crucial for predicting disease patterns that might jump to humans, making this field essential for pandemic prevention.
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