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An epizootic is the nonhuman equivalent of an epidemic, meaning that large numbers of animals are infected with a disease. As in epidemics, high population density is a major contributing factor to epizootics, with aquaculture being one notable example of an industry plagued by disease because of the large number of fish in a small area. New agricultural research aims to harness the microbes that hold the potential to cause epizootics and use them in pest control technologies. Due to the pathogens' specificity to a host, the risk to humans and other non-target species in the environment is minimal and the capacity for control has proven to be quite effective.
