Susceptibility may refer to: Physics and engineering In physics the susceptibility is a quantification for the change of an extensive property under variation of an intensive property. The word may refer to: In physics, the susceptibility of a material or substance describes its response to an applied field. For example: Magnetic susceptibility Electric susceptibility The two types of susceptibility above are examples of a linear response function; sometimes the terms susceptibility and linear response function are used interchangeably. In electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), susceptibility is the sensitivity of a device's function to incoming electromagnetic interference Health and medicine In epidemiology, a susceptible individual is a member of a population who is at risk of becoming infected by a disease In microbiology, pharmacology, and medicine drug susceptibility is the ability of a microorganism to be inhibited or killed by the drug, as in antibiotic susceptibility, the susceptibility of microorganisms to antibiotics (often used synonymously with the lay term sensitivity) Botany and environmental science Susceptibility to pathogens is the extent to which a plant, vegetation complex, or ecological community would suffer from a pathogen if exposed, without regard to the likelihood of exposure the opposite of Plant disease resistance It should not be confused with vulnerability, which by convention in this field takes into account both the effect of exposure and the likelihood of exposure Military science The vulnerability of a target audience to particular forms of psychological warfare See also Vulnerability