This word is used in scientific community to describe how feces from an infected individual reaches the mouth of another person, to cause disease. In simple and crude terms, it means that one has to eat minute amount of patients feces to get certain infections (Diarrhea, Typhoid or Cholera).

Most infections cause by house fly happens this way. The fly sits on open garbage, animal or human feces and carries it on its feet, to open food and transplants it there. Any one eating that food unknowingly eats the garbage/feces and gets sick.

Infected water of river and ponds is another important source. When the towns sever is dumped in the rivers and ponds where people bathe, they unknowingly or knowingly drink some water and get infection with sever contents. Studies on the water of Ganges(Holy river GANGA) shows that it water is full of Cholera causing bacteria.

Another common source of this contamination is ground water Open garbage or feces in minute portions permeates through the ground to the under water supply. This process is helped by rain. Most wells and hand pumps in India tap the superficial layer of water around 30 -100 feet. This layer is above the rock layer that can filter the germs. Deep underground water with pure water lies below 200-300 feet. People using hand pumps and well water unknowingly ingest portions of garbage and feces in the surrounding land that has gone in and mixed with this superficial water tablet.

Animals are also attracted to the garbage and eat it. They get infected and transmit the infecting agents in their feces. Cows, dogs and Rats then defecate in and around our neighbor hood and inside our homes( mice).

Lastly, open garbage and feces, gets in the air. Disease spores get in the air like the pollens from trees. We get infection by breathing it or by eating food that was left open to air.

Most Diarrheas, Typhoid , Cholera, worms in India happen by this method.