pathogen
noun
path·o·gen ˈpa-thə-jən 
: a specific causative agent (such as a bacterium or virus) of disease
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The pathogen, called cryphonectria parasitica, spread in all directions. 
BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Out of the 26 people not co-infected with another pathogen, the most common symptoms were fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, nausea, headache and vomiting. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2022 In areas with a lot of circulating virus, with such a transmissible pathogen, one's chances of catching Covid-19 are high. Katia Hetter, CNN, 14 July 2022 After several successive waves of infections from a series of variants of the basic pathogen, as well as a historic effort to develop new vaccines and therapies, cases and deaths are dropping almost everywhere. David Axe, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2022 All infections are interactions between pathogen and host, which means Delta could hold its own, or make a comeback, for a bunch of reasons that aren’t just about the virus itself. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2022 The fast-moving pathogen, which has already invaded Europe, was found in East Coast ducks. Maryn Mckenna, Wired, 24 Jan. 2022 Last year, the county’s Vector Control Department trapped 10 mice infected with the airborne pathogen, including one last month. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2022 It was first discovered in research monkeys at a lab in Denmark in 1958, and identified as a human pathogen in 1970. Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Sep. 2022 See More
BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Out of the 26 people not co-infected with another pathogen, the most common symptoms were fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, nausea, headache and vomiting. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2022 In areas with a lot of circulating virus, with such a transmissible pathogen, one's chances of catching Covid-19 are high. Katia Hetter, CNN, 14 July 2022 After several successive waves of infections from a series of variants of the basic pathogen, as well as a historic effort to develop new vaccines and therapies, cases and deaths are dropping almost everywhere. David Axe, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2022 All infections are interactions between pathogen and host, which means Delta could hold its own, or make a comeback, for a bunch of reasons that aren’t just about the virus itself. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2022 The fast-moving pathogen, which has already invaded Europe, was found in East Coast ducks. Maryn Mckenna, Wired, 24 Jan. 2022 Last year, the county’s Vector Control Department trapped 10 mice infected with the airborne pathogen, including one last month. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2022 It was first discovered in research monkeys at a lab in Denmark in 1958, and identified as a human pathogen in 1970. Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
patho- + -gen, after pathogenic, pathogenesis
First Known Use
1880, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
pathogen
noun
patho·gen ˈpath-ə-jən
: a specific causative agent (as a bacterium or virus) of disease