pathogen
Sign in to saveIn biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism, agent or micro-organism that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ.
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A pathogen is any organism or agent that can cause disease in living things, such as bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms. Understanding pathogens matters because identifying what causes disease helps us treat illnesses and protect ourselves from getting sick.
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Article
24 sectionsContents
- Pathogenicity
- Types
- Algae
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Prions
- Viroids
- Viruses
- Other parasites
- Pathogen hosts
- Bacteria
- Plants
- Animals
- Humans
- Treatment
- Prions
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Algae
- Sexual interactions
- See also
- References
- External links
In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism, agent or micro-organism that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ.
The term pathogen came into use in the 1880s. Typically, the term pathogen is used to describe an infectious microorganism or agent, such as a virus, bacterium, protozoan, prion, viroid, or fungus. Small animals, such as helminths and insects, can also cause or transmit disease. However, these animals are usually referred to as parasites rather than pathogens. The scientific study of microscopic organisms, including microscopic pathogenic organisms, is called microbiology, while parasitology refers to the scientific study of parasites and the organisms that host them.