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

They also applied the approach to bacterial samples from 400 patients with another severe lung infection caused by Mycobacterium abscessus, a close relative of the tuberculosis pathogen.

From Science Daily

Millions of lives were lost to the pathogen, including most of the 14 children born to Marcus and his wife, Faustina.

From The Wall Street Journal

These transformed chemicals provide the beetles with effective protection against fungal pathogens.

From Science Daily

“By early childhood most high-income nations vaccinate against roughly a dozen to fifteen serious pathogens,” the group said.

From Barron's

In related research, Dr. Robinson has worked with scientists in China to show that urban soils contain more pathogens than forest soils.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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