What are disease-causing agents called? Disease-causing agents are microorganisms or macro-organisms that, when infecting a host, result in disease. It is important to note that not all microorganisms and macro-organisms are disease-causing agents. This is because many of them (even when infectin...
Quorum sensing refers to the mechanism by which populations of bacteria regulate gene expression through the concentration-dependent detection of signaling molecules called autoinducers18. It is a finely-tuned cell-cell communication system designed to coordinate the behaviour of a group of conspecifics a...
In vitro susceptibility tests are performed on microorganisms suspected of causing disease, particularly if the organism is thought to belong to a species that may exhibit acquired resistance to frequently used antimicrobial agents. The tests are also important in resistance surveillance, epidemiological st...
He told the press that the microbiome may only make up 1 to 3% of human body mass, but it plays a key role in human health.One of the fascinating features of the microbiome is that different body sites have different communites of microorganisms that are as different from each other as ...