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Biology vocabulary · Microbiology

Pathogen

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˈpæθədʒən/nounCommon term

In biology, pathogen means: A microorganism or virus that causes disease in its host, such as certain bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites.

In Turkish: patojen, hastalık etkeni

How it is used

Used in microbiology, medicine and plant science. People talk about human pathogens, plant pathogens and foodborne pathogens. The adjective is pathogenic, and the ability to cause disease is pathogenicity. Most microbes are non-pathogenic.

Example sentences

  1. Salmonella is a common foodborne pathogen.

  2. Rust fungi are important pathogens of wheat.

Common collocations

  • plant pathogen
  • foodborne pathogen
  • human pathogen
  • pathogenic bacteria
  • opportunistic pathogen
  • hostAn organism or cell that a parasite, virus or other organism lives in or on, and from which it usually gets food or shelter.
  • bacteriaSingle-celled microorganisms without a nucleus that live almost everywhere, from soil and water to the human gut. Most are harmless or useful; some cause disease.
  • virusA tiny infectious particle made of genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a protein coat. It can only make copies of itself inside a living host cell.
  • immune systemThe network of cells, tissues and organs that protects the body from pathogens and other harmful substances, and remembers threats it has met before.
  • antibodyA Y-shaped protein made by B cells of the immune system that recognizes and binds to a specific antigen, such as part of a virus, and marks it for destruction.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Microbiology

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