Infectious agent
Infectious agent
Infectious agent (pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɛkʃəs ˈeɪdʒənt/) is a term used in microbiology to refer to a pathogen or microorganism that has the potential to cause disease or infection in a host organism.
Etymology
The term "infectious agent" is derived from the Latin words "infectus", meaning "to taint or corrupt", and "agens", meaning "a doer or performer".
Types of Infectious Agents
Infectious agents can be classified into several types, including:
- Bacteria: Single-celled organisms that can cause diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and strep throat.
- Viruses: Non-living infectious agents that can cause diseases such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19.
- Fungi: Organisms that can cause infections such as ringworm, athlete's foot, and yeast infections.
- Parasites: Organisms that live on or in a host organism and can cause diseases such as malaria, giardiasis, and toxoplasmosis.
- Prions: Infectious proteins that can cause diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and kuru.
Transmission of Infectious Agents
Infectious agents can be transmitted in several ways, including:
- Direct contact: This includes person-to-person contact, animal-to-person contact, and mother-to-child transmission.
- Indirect contact: This includes contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, and contact with vectors such as mosquitoes or ticks.
- Airborne transmission: This includes transmission through droplets or aerosols that are expelled when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or breathes.
Prevention of Infectious Diseases
Prevention of infectious diseases involves measures such as vaccination, hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and quarantine and isolation of infected individuals.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Infectious agent
- Wikipedia's article - Infectious agent
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