Study Sheet #3

Definitions:

1. Anemia – a reduction below normal in the number or volume of erythrocytes or

in the quantity of hemoglobin in the blood.
2. Erythrocyte - cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body.
Also called a red blood cell (RBC).
3. Hemoglobin - the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the
lungs to the body's tissues and returns carbon dioxide from the tissues
to the lungs.
4. Bacteria – single-celled microorganism reproduced by cell division
5. Benign – Not malignant; not recurrent, favorable for recovery
6. Biohazard – hazardous to biology (life, health)
7. Electrocardiogram – the record produced by electrocardiography; a tracing
representing the heart’s electrical action derived by amplification of
the minutely electrical impulses normally generated by the heart; also
called ECG and EKG.
8. Fecal – the matter excreted by the intestine; test used in clinics to look for
parasitic infections.
9. Glucose – a simple sugar, a monosaccharide in certain foodstuffs, especially fruit
and in the normal blood; the major source of energy for many living
organisms.
10. Hematocrit – the volume percentage of erythrocytes in whole blood; also the
apparatus or procedures used in its determination. The hematocrit
(which means to separate blood) is determined by centrifuging a blood
sample to separate the cellular elements from the plasma; the results of
the test indicate the ratio of cell volume to plasma volume (packed cell
volume, PCV) and are expressed as millimeters of packed cells per
100 mL of blood, or in volumes per 100 mL.
11. Microscope – an instrument used to view an enlarged image of small objects and
reveal details of structure not otherwise distinguishable by the naked
eye.
12. Necropsy – examination of an animal’s body after death to determine the actual
case of death; also called postmortem examination. Autopsy is
performed on humans.
13. Parasite – a plant of animal that lives upon or within another living organism at
whose expense it obtains some advantage.
14. PCV – Packed cell volume, the percentage of the volume of packed red cells in a
given amount of blood.
15. Rabies – a highly fatal viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS); an
important zoonotic disease.
16. Roundworm – any of the parasitic, non-segmented, cylindrical in cross-section,
elongated in shape, nematode worms which invade principally the
gastrointestinal tract and multiply there. Almost any organ can be
 involved. The heartworm is a roundworm but found in the right side
of the heart.
17. Tapeworm – Includes infestation with members of the class Cestoda, the true
tapeworms.
18. Urinalysis – Analysis of the urine as an aid in the diagnosis of disease. Many
types of tests are used in analyzing the urine in order to determine
whether it contains abnormal substances indicative of disease. The most
significant substances normally absent from urine and detected by
urinalysis are protein, glucose, acetone, blood, pus, casts and crystals.
19. Vaccinations – the introduction of a substance into the body to produce immunity
to a specific disease.
20. Virus – a life form containing DNA or RNA that must invade a host’s cells in
order to survive and replicate.

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

1. pepsis – digestion
2. pharmakon – drug
3. pharynx – throat
4. pleura – side, rib
5. pneuma – aid, breath
6. psyche – soul
7. pyon – pus
8. pyr – fire, fever
9. sarx – flesh
10. soma – body
11. spasmos – spasm
12. splen – spleen
13. stoma – mouth
14. stomachos – stomach
15. tracheia – windpipe
16. trauma – wound
17. dia – through, across, completely
a. diabetes – a going through, syphon, syphon disease
b. diagnosis – a knowing completely, determination of the nature of a disease
c. diarrhea – flowing through, fluid discharge
d. diathermy – heat going through, elevation of temperature by means of a
current
18. dys – bad, difficult, defective
a. dysentery – bad intestine
b. dyspepsia – bad digestion
c. dyspnea – difficult breathing
d. dystrophy – bad nourishment
19. ec-, ex- – out, out of, outward
a. ectopic – out of place
b. eczema – a boiling out, an inflammation of the skin
c. exophthalmos – eye (bulging) out
d. exostosis – bone outside, a bony tumor
20. en-, em- – in, within
a. encephalon – in the head, the brain
b. endemic – in the people, present in a community
c. embolism – thrown in, a plugging of a vessel
d. embryo – grown in, fetus
 Pathogens

1. Yersinia
a. Y. enterocolitica
i. Man – Enteritis
b. Y. pestis
i. Man – Plague
c. Y. pseudotuberculosis
i. Psuedotuberculosis
2. Corynebacterium
a. C. diphtheriae
i. Man – Diphtheria
b. C. psuedotuberculosis
i. Ovine – Caseous lymphadenitis
c. C. renale
i. Bovine – Contagious pyelonephritis
3. Dermatophilus
a. D. congolensis
i. Animals, Man – Dermatophilosis
4. Erysipelothrix
a. E. rhusiopathiae
i. Porcine – Erysipelas
ii. Man – Erysipeloid
5. Listeria
a. L. monocytogenes
i. Bovine – visceral & meningoencephalitis, septicemia and abortion
ii. Animals – visceral & septicemia
iii. Man – visceral and septicemia
6. Rhodococcus
a. R. equi
i. Equine – Foul Pneumonia
ii. Animals, Man – Opportunistic Infections