What is the term for a disease that occurs in several members of a population or colony?

What is the term for a disease that occurs in several members of a population or colony?

• A. Enzootic
• B. Endemic
• C. Epidemic
• D. Exotic

Answer: (B)

Endemic describes a disease that is regularly present in a population or colony at a relatively stable level. It means the illness is persistently occurring among multiple individuals rather than appearing as a one-time spike. In animal populations, the analogous term is enzootic, but for general populations the common term is endemic. An epidemic would indicate a sudden increase in cases above the expected baseline, while exotic refers to something not native or introduced from outside.

Endemic describes a disease that is regularly present in a population or colony at a relatively stable level. It means the illness is persistently occurring among multiple individuals rather than appearing as a one-time spike. In animal populations, the analogous term is enzootic, but for general populations the common term is endemic. An epidemic would indicate a sudden increase in cases above the expected baseline, while exotic refers to something not native or introduced from outside.