What Is a Pathogen?
1. Pathogenicity
The term “pathogenicity” refers to the potential capacity to cause disease in pathogens. Some experts think of pathogenicity as a quantitative term. Pathogens can also be described based on their ability to colonize, enter tissue, produce toxins, immunosuppress, and hijack nutrients. It should not be confused with terms such as “virulence” and “transmissibility.” Virulence evolves when the pathogen spreads from a host.
Transmission can occur through various routes such as through blood, direct contact, sexual contact, airborne, and more. Horizontal transmission occurs when the disease spreads between the same species. Vertical transmission occurs when it transfers from the parent to the offspring. When it infects different species, it is known as a cross-species transmission or spillover.
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