HOME | DD

Description

In biology , a pathogen (Greek : πάθος pathos "suffering", "passion" and -γενής -genēs "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any 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.[1] [2] Typically, the term is used to describe an infectious microorganism or agent, such as a virus , bacterium , protozoan , prion , viroid , or fungus .[3] [4] [5]

Description

In biology , a pathogen (Greek : πάθος pathos "suffering", "passion" and -γενής -genēs "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any 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.[1] [2] Typically, the term is used to describe an infectious microorganism or agent, such as a virus , bacterium , protozoan , prion , viroid , or fungus .[3] [4] [5]