Glossary of Foodborne Surveillance Terminology
Epidemiology Terminology

Case ~ an instance of a particular disease. A variety of criteria may be used to identify cases.

Case Definition ~ a set of standard criteria for determining whether a person has a particular disease or health condition. A case definition specifies clinical criteria and details of time, place, and person.

Case Control Studies ~ An analytic study that compares a group of people with a certain disease, (case-patients) with a group of people without the health problem (controls) to detect differences in characteristics such as exposure to an agent.