zoonotic

American  

[zoh-uh-naht-ik] / ˌzoʊ əˈnɑt ɪk /

adjective

1. Pathology. being, having, or relating to a zoonosis.

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Explanation

In medicine, zoonotic describes a disease that can be spread from animals to humans. If a rabid dog bites a person, the person may become infected with rabies, which is a zoonotic virus. Zoonotic comes from the noun zoonosis and its Greek roots, zōon, "animal," and nosos, "disease." The majority of diseases that affect humans started out in animal populations, but only the ones that pass directly from animals to people are considered zoonotic. One of the things that illnesses such as the Ebola virus, ringworm, and Lyme disease have in common is that they're all zoonotic.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zoonotic

Asking whether SARS-CoV-2 emerged through either zoonotic spillover, which is when a virus jumps from animals to people, or through a laboratory-related incident is not inherently a conspiracy theory.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

In research published in Science Advances, investigators used controlled laboratory experiments to study the zoonotic potential of CWD.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026

Before taking in the ducks, the animal services agency coordinated with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to test a sample of the ducks for zoonotic diseases, according to the county.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

Studies show these droppings contain at least seven types of zoonotic pathogens that can cause diseases such as pneumonia, fungal infections and even lung damage in humans.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2025

The fact is that what scientists call zoonotic disease was little known in the Americas.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann