What should the study of infectious diseases in insects be called?

Question

I posted a similar question about a week ago, and after 2 answers, Yahoo decided no more could be added. Part of the reason for asking the question is that it makes searching for information easier if there is a name for the study. "Entomology" is far too broad, and "insect pathology" is a reasonable guess, but pretty near my own guess of "insect diseases".

If there really isn't already a name for the specialty, what should we call it?

Answer 1

I suppose it depends on the level of specificity that you are looking for. Let's start from the beginning.

Pathology is the study of disease, illness, and its origins. In it's most general sense, it would include all disease of any kind, including those affecting insects.

There are sub-branches of pathology. Particularly veterninary pathology. A veterinarian treats non-human animals, so that would presumably also include insects, though I'd be surprised if a typical vet spent much time on such critters.

Veterinary medicine has any number of sub-branches as well. The one specific to insects, as you have already pointed out, is entomology. So the study of disease specific to insects would most properly be called entomological pathology.

Don't get too excited, though. Having some passing familiarity with veterinary medicine in general, I can say that there is really not much work done even with dogs and cats (if I recall correctly, there are only two canine blood banks in the whole world) much less insects. The only diseases you are likely to learn much about are those which affect humans as well as insects.

Hope that helps, though. Good luck!

Answer 2

If you are talking about the study of diseases that affect insects, and are transmitted between insects, then the field of study would be entomopathology or more commonly, simply insect pathology.

If you are talking about diseases of humans that are spread by insects, then there are several different avenues of study that address that, separated by how much emphasis is placed on the insect vector, and how much of the study is directed at the disease itself rather than how it is spread.

Medical entomology is the study of the insect vectors themselves, usually with the aim to use their biology to determine effective control measures to prevent spread of the disease.

Pathologists would study the disease itself. The fact that it is transmitted by insects would be a mere side-note to the how the disease progresses once in the human host.

Answer 3

Roughly speaking, you are talking about entomology. If there is a subdiscipline dealing with diseases OF insects, its name was made up by one the few professors that specializes in it.

Answer 4

Epizootics
actually insect pathology
study of diseases in insects

Answer 5

Entomological Diseases?

Sounds good.