In veterinary medicine, which category do viruses and bacteria fall into?

In veterinary medicine, viruses and bacteria are classified as infectious agents. This classification is appropriate because infectious agents are organisms capable of causing disease in a host. Both viruses and bacteria can invade the host's body, reproduce, and induce a pathological response, leading to various diseases.

The other categories mentioned, such as carriers, reservoirs, and fomites, describe different aspects of the infectious disease process. Carriers refer to individuals or animals that harbor infectious organisms without showing symptoms, potentially transmitting the infection to others. Reservoirs are environments or hosts in which infectious agents reside and from which they can be transmitted to other hosts. Fomites are inanimate objects or surfaces that can be contaminated with infectious agents and may facilitate the spread of disease, but they are not living organisms themselves. Hence, while these terms are important in understanding the transmission of infections, they do not directly categorize viruses and bacteria themselves, which are classified specifically as infectious agents.