Pathogenicity is another term for which concept?

Pathogenicity is another term for which concept?

• A. Virulence
• B. Infectivity
• C. Immunity
• D. Infectious Dose

Answer: (A)

Pathogenicity is about a microbe’s ability to cause disease in a host. The term that best captures how severe or damaging that disease can be is virulence—the overall level of harm the organism can produce once it infects. Infectivity describes how easily an infection starts, which is related but not the same as how bad the disease can be. Immunity refers to the host’s defenses, not the pathogen’s capacity to cause disease. Infectious dose is the quantity needed to initiate infection, a factor in infectivity but not a measure of disease severity. So, virulence is the best fit for what pathogenicity means.

Pathogenicity is about a microbe’s ability to cause disease in a host. The term that best captures how severe or damaging that disease can be is virulence—the overall level of harm the organism can produce once it infects. Infectivity describes how easily an infection starts, which is related but not the same as how bad the disease can be. Immunity refers to the host’s defenses, not the pathogen’s capacity to cause disease. Infectious dose is the quantity needed to initiate infection, a factor in infectivity but not a measure of disease severity. So, virulence is the best fit for what pathogenicity means.