pathogenic

path·o·gen·ic | \ ˌpa-thə-ˈje-nik

How to pronounce pathogenic (audio)

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Definition of pathogenic

1 : pathogenetic sense 1

2 : causing or capable of causing disease

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Examples of pathogenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Another substance used to eradicate viruses, bacteria and other pathogenic organisms like funguses is glycolic acid. — Debra Utacia Krol, azcentral, "EPA releases a list of disinfectants that can help you fight the new coronavirus," 1 Apr. 2020 Tomasz Kula, a postdoc in Elledge's lab, had developed a technology called VirScan that enabled the team to test the antibodies in the infected children's blood against antibody targets representing most known human pathogenic viruses. — Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, "How measles causes the body to ‘forget’ past infections by other microbes," 31 Oct. 2019 According to the agency, the birds, which were from China, are not allowed to be imported to the United States because of the potential threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza. — Lori Aratani, Washington Post, "Bag of tiny dead birds from China confiscated from passenger at Dulles Airport," 11 Feb. 2020 Everything around your hands is still covered in potentially pathogenic microbes. — Kat Eschner, Popular Science, "Why COVID-19 can’t beat a good hand-washing," 9 Mar. 2020 Most strains of this bacterium, despite the acnes in its name, are either harmless or helpful, keeping pathogenic microbes at bay; in fact, C. acnes is the predominant component of the normal microbiome of the face and neck. — Martin Oeggerli, National Geographic, "How trillions of microbes affect every stage of our life—from birth to old age," 17 Dec. 2019 Like all Recluse spiders, the venom of the Chilean Recluse contains the dermonecrotic agent, which is otherwise found only in a few pathogenic bacteria. — Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, "The 10 Most Dangerous Spiders in the World," 11 Nov. 2019 This disappearance seemed to leave us with lowered levels of the cells that recognize and fight pathogenic intruders, offering germs an open window for incursions. — Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, "How Exercise May Affect Your Immunity," 10 Mar. 2020 Even older people living at home face communal risks, since many of them regularly visit community senior centers, which are great places for socialization and provide a means to stay active and engaged, but can serve as pathogenic petri dishes. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, "A Coronavirus Guide for Older Adults (And Their Family Advocates)," 4 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pathogenic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

25 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pathogenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pathogenic. Accessed 2 Jun. 2020.

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