pathogen

English

Etymology

From patho- +‎ -gen.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈpæθəd͡ʒn̩/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Hyphenation: path‧o‧gen
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

pathogen (plural pathogens)

  1. (pathology, immunology) An agent that can cause disease, especially an infectious microorganism, such as a bacterium, virus, protozoon or fungus.
    Synonym: infectious agent
    • 2013 January, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, in American Scientist‎, volume 101, number 1, archived from the original on 9 February 2017, page 64:
      In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.

Usage notes

In most contexts, the term pathogen is exclusively applied to infectious microorganisms, including viruses, and does not cover harmful substances such as asbestos or various toxins. Some authors reserve the term for the microorganisms that are the actual cause of an observed case of disease, so in this usage the same microorganism that is pathogenic in one host may not be categorized as a pathogen in another infected host.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From πάθος (páthos, “suffering, pain”) + -γενής (-genḗs, “producer of”). Equivalent to patho- + -gen.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˌpatoˈɡeːn/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: pa‧tho‧gen

Adjective

pathogen (strong nominative masculine singular pathogener, comparative pathogener, superlative am pathogensten)

  1. pathogenic
    Synonym: krankheitserregend

Declension
Positive forms of pathogen
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist pathogen sie ist pathogen es ist pathogen sie sind pathogen
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative pathogener pathogene pathogenes pathogene
genitive pathogenen pathogener pathogenen pathogener
dative pathogenem pathogener pathogenem pathogenen
accusative pathogenen pathogene pathogenes pathogene
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der pathogene die pathogene das pathogene die pathogenen
genitive des pathogenen der pathogenen des pathogenen der pathogenen
dative dem pathogenen der pathogenen dem pathogenen den pathogenen
accusative den pathogenen die pathogene das pathogene die pathogenen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein pathogener eine pathogene ein pathogenes (keine) pathogenen
genitive eines pathogenen einer pathogenen eines pathogenen (keiner) pathogenen
dative einem pathogenen einer pathogenen einem pathogenen (keinen) pathogenen
accusative einen pathogenen eine pathogene ein pathogenes (keine) pathogenen
Comparative forms of pathogen
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist pathogener sie ist pathogener es ist pathogener sie sind pathogener
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative pathogenerer pathogenere pathogeneres pathogenere
genitive pathogeneren pathogenerer pathogeneren pathogenerer
dative pathogenerem pathogenerer pathogenerem pathogeneren
accusative pathogeneren pathogenere pathogeneres pathogenere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der pathogenere die pathogenere das pathogenere die pathogeneren
genitive des pathogeneren der pathogeneren des pathogeneren der pathogeneren
dative dem pathogeneren der pathogeneren dem pathogeneren den pathogeneren
accusative den pathogeneren die pathogenere das pathogenere die pathogeneren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein pathogenerer eine pathogenere ein pathogeneres (keine) pathogeneren
genitive eines pathogeneren einer pathogeneren eines pathogeneren (keiner) pathogeneren
dative einem pathogeneren einer pathogeneren einem pathogeneren (keinen) pathogeneren
accusative einen pathogeneren eine pathogenere ein pathogeneres (keine) pathogeneren
Superlative forms of pathogen
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am pathogensten sie ist am pathogensten es ist am pathogensten sie sind am pathogensten
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative pathogenster pathogenste pathogenstes pathogenste
genitive pathogensten pathogenster pathogensten pathogenster
dative pathogenstem pathogenster pathogenstem pathogensten
accusative pathogensten pathogenste pathogenstes pathogenste
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der pathogenste die pathogenste das pathogenste die pathogensten
genitive des pathogensten der pathogensten des pathogensten der pathogensten
dative dem pathogensten der pathogensten dem pathogensten den pathogensten
accusative den pathogensten die pathogenste das pathogenste die pathogensten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein pathogenster eine pathogenste ein pathogenstes (keine) pathogensten
genitive eines pathogensten einer pathogensten eines pathogensten (keiner) pathogensten
dative einem pathogensten einer pathogensten einem pathogensten (keinen) pathogensten
accusative einen pathogensten eine pathogenste ein pathogenstes (keine) pathogensten

Derived terms
  • Pathogenität

Further reading
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