Pathogen

A pathogen is an agent that can cause disease.

There are many types of Pathogens. What follows is a beta list of the known categories of pathogens

• poisonous chemicals

• bacteria
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae
  • Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) - see meningitis
  • Treponema pallidum
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Streptococcus pyogenes
  • Escherichia coli
  • Salmonella typhimurium
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis)
  • Rickettsiae

• viruses
  • AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus /HIV)
  • Herpes /HSV (Herpes simplex virus)
  • Warts (papillomavirus), similar viruses are believed to contribute to cervical cancer.
  • SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Hepatitis (note that Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E are transmitted via the faecal-oral route)
    • Hepatitis B
    • Hepatitis C
    • Hepatitis D
• Molluscum contagiosum
• subviral pathogens such as viroids and prions.

See also:

• the CDC's Bad Bug Book lists the most serious food-borne pathogens.

Also note:

• HIV is a retrovirus