pathogen
An agent that can cause disease, especially an infectious microorganism, such as a bacterium, virus, protozoon or fungus.
Noun
- An agent that can cause disease, especially an infectious microorganism, such as a bacterium, virus, protozoon or fungus.
- In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what...
Synonyms: infectious agent
Origin
From patho- + -gen. Second element ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“lineage”) through Ancient Greek γένος (génos, “birth”)
Forms
Related
pathologically pathological pathologic pathologization pathology pathosis
Derived
allopathogen antipathogen biopathogen copathogen endopathogen enteropathogen entomopathogen exopathogen hemopathogen immunopathogen micropathogen multipathogen mycopathogen neuropathogen nonpathogen odontopathogen oncopathogen otopathogen pathogenesis pathogenic pathogenous pathogeny periodontopathogen periopathogen