Word: pathogenic (adjective)

Associations

"Pathogenic" means something that can cause disease or illness. It is often used in biology, medicine, and health to describe bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms that make people or animals sick.

• Example 1: "Pathogenic bacteria can cause infections." This means some bacteria are harmful and cause disease.
• Example 2: "The doctor studied the pathogenic virus responsible for the flu." This means the virus causes the flu.
• Example 3: "Not all bacteria are pathogenic; some are helpful." This shows that only some bacteria cause disease, while others do not. A similar word is "harmful," but "pathogenic" specifically refers to causing disease, while "harmful" can mean causing any kind of damage or hurt.

Substitution

Instead of "pathogenic," you could say:

• "disease-causing" – This is a direct and simple synonym.
• "infectious" – This means it can spread disease, but not all pathogenic things are infectious.
• "harmful" – More general, not always about disease. Using "disease-causing" is the closest substitute, keeping the medical meaning clear.

Deconstruction

"Pathogenic" comes from two parts:

• "Patho-" means "disease" or "suffering" (from Greek "pathos").
• "-genic" means "producing" or "causing" (from Greek "genēs"). So "pathogenic" literally means "producing disease."

Inquiry

• Can you think of any diseases caused by pathogenic organisms?
• How would you explain the difference between pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria to a friend?
• Why is it important for doctors to know if a microorganism is pathogenic?