pathogen
noun
path·o·gen
ˈpa-thə-jən 
: a specific causative agent (such as a bacterium or virus) of disease
Examples of pathogen in a Sentence
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There were clear differences between the nests that were exposed to the pathogen and those that were not.
—
NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
The cause of the epidemic has never been identified, though scientists have since identified pathogens behind a more recent sea urchin epidemic in the region.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Using adjuvants such as aluminum also help make vaccines more efficient by lowering the amount of material needed to produce an immune response, reducing the number of booster shots needed and improving the body’s immune memory of a pathogen.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2025
And while biocontainment measures, such as those scientists use to work with dangerous pathogens, could theoretically prevent mirror bacteria from leaving a lab, those measures would be vulnerable to human error or deliberate misuse.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pathogen
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NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
The cause of the epidemic has never been identified, though scientists have since identified pathogens behind a more recent sea urchin epidemic in the region.
—JSTOR Daily, 17 Oct. 2025
Using adjuvants such as aluminum also help make vaccines more efficient by lowering the amount of material needed to produce an immune response, reducing the number of booster shots needed and improving the body’s immune memory of a pathogen.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2025
And while biocontainment measures, such as those scientists use to work with dangerous pathogens, could theoretically prevent mirror bacteria from leaving a lab, those measures would be vulnerable to human error or deliberate misuse.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pathogen
Cite this Entry
“Pathogen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathogen. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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pathogen
noun
patho·gen
ˈpath-ə-jən
: a specific causative agent (as a bacterium or virus) of disease
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