pathogen

American  

[path-uh-juhn, ‑-jen] / ˈpæθ ə dʒən, ‑ˌdʒɛn /

noun

1. any disease-producing agent, especially a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism.

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pathogen British  

/ ˈpæθəˌdʒiːn, ˈpæθəˌdʒɛn /

noun

1. any agent that can cause disease

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pathogen Scientific  

/ păth′ə-jən /

1. An agent that causes infection or disease, especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, or a virus.

2. See Note at germ

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pathogen Cultural  

1. A disease-causing agent. Microorganisms, viruses, and toxins are examples of pathogens.

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Other Word Forms

• antipathogen noun

Etymology

Origin of pathogen

First recorded in 1940–45; patho- + -gen

Example Sentences

In simple terms, vaccines present the immune system with a recognizable piece of a pathogen -- such as the spike protein on SARS-CoV-2 -- so the body can quickly identify and attack the real virus later.

From Science Daily

Saturday's summit declaration struck a cautious tone on AI safety risks, from misinformation and surveillance to fears of the creation of devastating new pathogens.

From Barron's

Those traveling to Mars from Earth would almost certainly be screened to limit the pathogens they carry along.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We scoured the scientific literature to find examples of pathogens infecting T cells. We found very few examples," said Harris, part of UVA's Department of Neuroscience.

From Science Daily

Why do two people exposed to the same pathogen respond so differently?

From Science Daily

Related Words

• ailment
• disease
• germ
• illness
• infection
• microbe
• microorganism
• sickness