infectious agent

/ɪnˌfɛkʃəs ˌeɪdʒənt/

Other forms: infectious agents

Definitions of infectious agent

1. noun

   an agent capable of producing infection
   synonyms: infective agent

   types:

   virus

   (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein

   pathogen

   any disease-producing agent (especially a virus or bacterium or other microorganism)

   arborvirus, arbovirus

   a large heterogeneous group of RNA viruses divisible into groups on the basis of the virions; they have been recovered from arthropods, bats, and rodents; most are borne by arthropods; they are linked by the epidemiologic concept of transmission between vertebrate hosts by arthropod vectors (mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies, midges, etc.) that feed on blood; they can cause mild fevers, hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever, and encephalitis

   bacteriophage, phage

   a virus that is parasitic (reproduces itself) in bacteria

   plant virus

   a plant pathogen that is a virus consisting of a single strand of RNA

   animal virus

   an animal pathogen that is a virus

   slow virus

   a virus that remains dormant in the body for a long time before symptoms appear

   tumor virus

   a cell-free filtrate held to be a virus responsible for a specific neoplasm

   vector

   (genetics) a virus or other agent that is used to deliver DNA to a cell

   type of:

   agent

   an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect