Definition of "zoonotic"

Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.

2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193