Epidemiology is the study of the various factors that influence the occurrence, distribution, prevention, and control of disease, injury, and other health-related events in a defined human population. By the application of various analytical techniques including mathematical analysis of the data, the probable cause of an infectious outbreak can be pinpointed. This connection between epidemiology and infection makes microorganisms an important facet of epidemiology.

Epidemiology and genetics are two distinct disciplines that converge into a new field of human science. Genetic epidemiology, a broad term used for the study of genetics and inheritance of disease, is a science that deals with origin, distribution, and control of disease in groups of related individuals, as well as inherited causes of diseases in populations. In particular, genetic epidemiology focuses on the role of genetic factors and their interaction with environmental factors in the occurrence of disease. This area of epidemiology is...