Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Pathogenicity
Introduction
Pathogenicity is the ability of an organism to cause disease in another organism, thus called Pathogen.
It is often used interchangeably with the term “virulence“, although some authors prefer to reserve the latter term for descriptions of the relative degree of damage done by a pathogen. Pathogens are infectious agents that cause disease and include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and higher parasites. The agents responsible for the CJD and BSE are also pathogenic.
The term used to describe the capacity of microbes to cause disease. [Source: Talaro, Kathleen P. Foundations in Microbioligy / Kathleen Park Talaro. – 6th edition. 2008]
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]