Study Sheet #1

Definitions:

1. Colic- pertaining to the colon; a syndrome caused by the severe paroxysmal pain
due to disease of an abdominal organ; commonly used term for abdominal pain
2. Paroxysmal - a sudden attack, recurrence, or intensification of a disease.
3. Corona – a type of viral enteritis that is considered species specific. The canine
strain is not as deadly as the parvo virus and one strain is Feline Infectious
Peritonitis
4. Distemper – a viral infection affecting several species; characterized in dogs by
discharges from eyes and nose, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing and seizures.
5. Heartworm – the common name for Dirofilaria immitis
6. Immunity – the condition of being immune; security against a particular disease;
nonsusceptibility to the invasive or pathogenic effects of microorganisms or
helminth parasites or to the toxic effect of antigenic substances. Also called
functional or protective immunity.
7. Parvo Or Parvovirus – a viral infection which may affect cattle, dogs, cats and
swine. Most commonly seen in dogs where the clinical symptoms are vomiting
and diarrhea, often with blood, high fever and dehydration.
8. Rabies – a highly fatal viral infection of the nervous system which affects all
warm-blooded animal species. Rabies is one of the most important zoonoses
because of the inevitably fatal outcome for the infected human.
9. Ringworm – an infection of the superficial layers of the skin and the hair fibers
with one of a group of dermatophytic fungi. The infection is very superficial and
does almost no injury to animals but efforts are usually made to prevent its spread
because it is highly infectious, including humans. Also called dermatophytosis.
10. Scabies – an intensely pruritic dermatitis caused by the acarid mite Sarcoptes
scabiei. Although there is some species specificity with subspecies of the mite,
this is not complete. Also called sarcoptic mange, it is zoonotic.
11. Vaccination – the introduction of vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a
specific disease. The vaccine may be administered by subcutaneous or
intradermal injection, by infusion into the mammary gland, by mouth or by
inhalation of an aerosol, or intramuscular injection or intranasally. Also known as
immunization.
12. Veterinarian – a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine
and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM).

(the definitions listed above are from the “Veterinary Assistant Training Manual – Level 1)
 Latin

1. a-, an- (before a vowel) – a privative or a negative conveying deficiency, lack of

feeling
a. a-pathy – lack of feeling
b. a-tom – invisible
c. an-emia – lack of blood
d. an-esthesia – lack of sensation
2. amphi-, ampho- -- on both sides of, double
a. amphi-bious – living on both sides
b. ampho-diplopia – double vision in both eyes
c. ampho-phil – fond of both, a cell which stains with either acid or dyes
3. ana-, an- up, upward, again
a. ana-lysis – dissolution, breaking up (of chemical compounds)
b. ana-mnesis – recollection, medical history
c. ana – tomy – cutting up, dissection
d. an-a-phylaxis – renewed loss of protection
4. anti- against, opposed to, opposite of
a. anti-dote – against a given thing (poison)
b. anti-pyretic – against fever
c. anti-septic – against infection
d. ant-acid – against an acid, neutralizing an acid
5. apo- off, away from
a. apo-physis – a growth away, a projection (from a bone)
b. apo-plexy – a stroke away, a sudden stroke
c. apo-staxis – a trickling down, a slight hemorrhage
d. apo-thecary – a pharmacist
6. cata- down, downward
a. cata-menia – according to month, meses
b. cata-rrh – a flowing down, inflammation of the mucous membrane
c. cata-tonia – a downward tone, stupor
 Pathogens

1. Staphylococcus
a. S. aureus
i. Bovine –mastitis
ii. Man – food poisoning
iii. Animals, Man – opportunistic infection
b. S. hyicus
i. Porcine – exudative dermatitis
ii. Animals, Man – opportunistic infection
c. S. intermedius
i. Canine – Pyoderma
ii. Animals, Man – opportunistic infection
2. Streptococcus
a. S. agalactiae
i. Bovine – mastitis
b. S. equi
i. Equine – stranges
c. S. pneumoniae
i. Man – pneumococcal pneumonia
d. S. porcinus
i. Porcine – cervical lymphadenitis
e. S. pyogenes
i. Man- rheumatic fever, scarlet fever
3. Neisseria
a. N. gonorrhoeae
i. Man – gonorrhea
b. N. meningitides
i. Man – meningococcal meningitis