| Term | Definition |
|---|
| assessment | evaluation of a condition |
| signalment | description of the animal including species, breed, age, and sexual status |
| febrile | fever |
| hypothermia | decrease in body temperature |
| sphygmomanometer | instrument used to measure blood pressure |
| auscultation | listening to body sounds, usually involves use of a stethoscope |
| palpation | examination by feeling |
| percussion | examination by tapping |
| speculum | instrument used to enlarge the opening of a canal or cavity |
| venipuncture | withdrawing blood from a vein |
| profile | group of laboratory tests performed on serum; also called screen or panel; includes glucose, liver enzyme, and kidney enzyme tests |
| hemogram | record of the findings in examination of blood |
| agglutination | clumping together of cells or particles |
| serology | laboratory study of serum and the reactions of antigens and antibodies |
| differential | diagnostic evaluation of the number of white blood cell types per cubic millimeter of blood |
| complete blood count | diagnostic evaluation of blood to determine the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thromnocutes per cubic millimeter of blood; abbreviated CBC |
| hematocrit | percentage of erythrocytes in blood; also called crit, PCV, or packed cell volume |
| white cell count | number of leukocytes per cubic millimeter of blood |
| red cell count | number of erythrocytes per cubic millimeter of blood |
| prothrombin time | diagnostic evaluation of the number of seconds needed for thromboplastic to coagulate plasma |
| assay | assessment or test to determine the number of organisms, cells, or amount of a chemical substance found in a sample |
| radioimmunoassay | laboratory technique in which a radioactively labeled substance is mixed with a blood specimen to determine the amount of particular sunstance in the mixture; also called radioassay |
| immunofluorescence | method of tagging antibodies with a luminating dye to detect antigen-antibody complexes |
| refractometer | instrument used to determine the deviation of light through objects |
| centrifuge | machine that spins samples very rapidly to separate elements based on weight |
| virulence | the ability of an organism to cause disease |
| contagious | disease that can be spread from one animal to another by direct or indirect contact |
| iatrogenic disease | disorder caused by physicians or veterinarians (and the treatment ordered) |
| idiopathic disease | disorder of unknown cause; disease peculiar to an individual and not likely to be seen in others |
| infectious disease | disorder caused by pathogenic organisms |
| noncontagious | disease that cannot be spread to another animal by contact or contact with an infected object |
| noninfectious disease | disorder not caused by organisms |
| nosocomial infection | disorder caused by pathogenic organisms contracted in a facility or clinic |
| asymptomatic | without signs of disease |
| atraumatic | pertaining to, resulting from, or caused by a noninjurious route |
| carrier | animal that harbors disease without clinical signs and may transmit infection |
| clinical | visible, readily observed, pertaining to treatment |
| disease | deviation from normal health |
| epidemiology | study of relationships determining frequency and distribution of diseases |
| etiology | study of disease causes |
| incidence | number of new cases of disease occuring during a given time |
| labile | unstable |
| lethal | causing death |
| morbid | afflicted with disease |
| morbidity | ratio of diseased animals to well animals in a population |
| moribund | near death |
| mortality | ratio of diseased animals that die to diseased animals |
| palliative | able to relieve a condition but not cure it |
| prevalance | number of cases of disease in a population at a certain time |
| prophylaxis | prevention |
| sequela | a condition occuring as a consequence of another condition |
| subclinical | without showing signs of disease |
| susceptible | lacking resistance |
| transmissable | ability to transfer from one animal to the next |
| traumatic | pertaining to, resulting from, or causing injury |
| zoonosis | disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans |
| prognosis | the prediction of the outcome of disease; to "know before" |
| syndrome | set of signs that occur together |
| symptom | a characteristic of disease that can be sensed only by the patient; incorrect term in veterinary medicine |
| sign | a characteristic of disease that can be observed by others |
| chronic | having a long course with a progressive onset; persisting for a long time |
| acute | having a short course with a sudden onset; implies severe |
| endemic | the ongoing presence of disease in a group |
| epidemic | the sudden and widespread outbreak of disease in a group |
| pandemic | occuring over a large geographic area |
| endoscopy | visual examination of the interior of the body by means of an endoscope |
| centesis | surgical puncture to remove fluid or gas |
| radiograph | record of structures; also called X-ray |
| radiopaque | appearing white or light gray on a radiograph (air and soft tissue) |
| radiolucent | appearing black or dark gray on a radiograph |
| scout film | plain radiograph made without the use of contrast medium |
| radiographic contrast | medium or material is a substance used to show structures on X-ray that are otherwise difficult to see |
| barium sulfate | example of contrast material |
| roentgen | international unit of radiation |
| computed axial tomography | procedure in which ionizing radiation with computer assistance passes through the patient and shows the internal structures in cross-sectional views; also called CT scan or CAT scan |
| magnetic resonance imaging | procedure in which radio waves and a strong magnetic field pass through the patient and show the internal body structures in three-dimensional views; also called MRI |
| ultrasound | imaging of internal body structures by recording echoes of high-frequency waves |
| echoic | ultrasound property pf producing adequate levels of reflections (echoes) when sound waves are returned to the transducer and displayed |
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