pathogen
Type: organism Aliases: pathogens microbial pathogen
Systems Analogy
An invasive pest species infiltrating municipal water reservoirs to disrupt city operations.
Any microorganism (bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite) capable of causing disease or chronic inflammatory damage in a host organism.
Scientific Sources & Verbatim Definitions
- Book / MonographOleske DM. Epidemiology of Chronic Disease. 2nd ed. 2018. ↗
"A pathogen is an infectious agent capable of causing disease."