Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. [1] This article focuses on the bacteria that are pathogenic to humans. Most species of bacteria are harmless and many are beneficial but others can cause infectious diseases. The number of these pathogenic species in humans is estimated to be fewer than a hundred. [2]
In biology, a pathogen (Greek: πάθος, pathos "suffering", "passion" and -γενής, -genēs "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ. [1] The term pathogen came into use in the 1880s.
Diseases caused by pathogens are called infectious diseases. Even when a pathogen is the principal cause of a disease, environmental and hereditary factors often influence the severity of the disease, and whether a potential host individual becomes infected when exposed to the pathogen. Pathogens are disease-carrying agents that can pass from ...
Infectious disease – illness or disorder when pathogenic (disease-causing) microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites invade and multiply within the body of a host organism and release toxins, causing various clinical symptoms which can potentially lead to severe health complications or even death. Infectious diseases can ...
Some studies have attempted to address the difference between pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes. This inquiry proves to be difficult, however, since a single bacterial species can have many strains, and the genomic content of each of these strains varies.
An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable disease, is an illness resulting from an infection. Infections can be caused by a wide range of pathogens, most prominently bacteria and viruses. [2] Hosts can fight infections using their immune systems.
The pathogenic mechanisms of a disease (or condition) are set in motion by the underlying causes, which if controlled would allow the disease to be prevented. [5] Often, a potential cause is identified by epidemiological observations before a pathological link can be drawn between the cause and the disease.
Pathogenic exogenous bacteria can enter a closed biological system and cause disease such as Cholera, which is induced by a waterborne microbe that infects the human intestine. [2] Exogenous bacteria can be introduced into a closed ecosystem as well, and have mutualistic benefits for both the microbe and the host. [ 1 ]