epizootic

1. (epidemiology) An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a population of non-human animals at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period.Examples: "At the same time as an epidemic of the flu broke out among the people, an epizootic of the swine flu broke out among their pigs."; "[…]but it can be asserted with confidence that Natal will for some years yet be free from the possibility of an invasion of the disease to the same degree as the epizootic of 1896 and 1897."

2. (dialectal, humorous, often in the plural) A disease or ailment (of humans).Examples: "Johnny's not doing so well today, I think he caught the epizootic."; "Last fall, when Dad had the Epizootic; no, I don't mean that, tho I did think he had em, but when the Chicargar hosses got the Epizootic, Dad got all fired mad caus that xpressman didn't cum round to move the rest of our traps."; "Never do I have colds — but I got the epizootics(?) and sneezed my head off — twenty three times yesterday."dialectalhumorousin-pluraloften