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Pathogen vs Commensal - What's the difference?

pathogen | commensal |

As nouns the difference between pathogen and commensal

is that pathogen is any organism or substance, especially a microorganism, capable of causing disease, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or fungi. Microorganisms are not considered to be pathogenic until they have reached a population size that is large enough to cause disease while commensal is an organism partaking in a commensal relationship.

As an adjective commensal is

of a form of symbiosis in which one organism derives a benefit while the other is unaffected.

pathogen

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (pathology, immunology) Any organism or substance, especially a microorganism, capable of causing disease, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or fungi. Microorganisms are not considered to be pathogenic until they have reached a population size that is large enough to cause disease.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-01
    • , author=Katie L. Burke , title=Ecological Dependency , volume=101, issue=1, page=64 , magazine= citation , passage=In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature , David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.}}

    Derived terms

    * pathogenic * pathogenesis * pathogenous * pathogeny

    Anagrams

    * *

    commensal

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (ecology) of a form of symbiosis in which one organism derives a benefit while the other is unaffected

    • Noun

    (wikipedia commensal) (en noun)
  • (ecology) An organism partaking in a relationship.
  • * 2001 , (Yann Martel), (Life of Pi) , (2003), ISBN 184195392X, page 260:
    • The tree did indeed grow right out of the algae, as I had seen from the lifeboat. There was not the least trace of soil. Either there was soil deeper down, or this species of tree was a remarkable instance of a commensal or a parasite.
  • One who eats at the same table.

    • Related terms

    * commensalism * commensality * endocommensal, endocommensalism ----