Pathogen

In the syllabus and the exam

Pathogen is the starting point of the disease and immunity content standard, and candidates are expected to know that the category includes four distinct types of microorganism, bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa, each capable of causing disease through a different mechanism. Exam questions often ask candidates to match a named disease to its causative pathogen type and to a method of transmission, such as through air, contaminated water and food, direct contact, or a vector such as a mosquito, since this connects the term to the wider topic of disease prevention and control. Candidates should also be able to distinguish a pathogen from the disease it causes and from the body's response to it, since these three ideas are frequently tested together in one structured question. A common error is using the terms pathogen, germ and virus interchangeably, when in fact a virus is only one specific category of pathogen among the four types. Sorting each named disease by its type of pathogen is a quick way to revise this topic.

Example

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterial pathogen that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs.

Related terms

AntigenImmunityVaccine

Source:SRC-DSKP-EN