Meaning & use
non-pathogen
Last updated
UK/ˌnɒnˈpæθ.ə.dʒən/
US/ˌnɑːnˈpæθ.ə.dʒən/
Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
A microorganism that does not cause disease.
Grammar: Countable: a non-pathogen, non-pathogens.
Patterns
- a non-pathogen
- non-pathogens
Many bacteria in the gut are non-pathogens and help with digestion.
The lab studies both pathogens and non-pathogens.
This species is considered a non-pathogen in healthy people.
Word forms
| plural | non-pathogens |
|---|
Common combinations
- harmless non-pathogen
- The sample contained a harmless non-pathogen.
- classified as a non-pathogen
- The bacterium was classified as a non-pathogen.
- non-pathogen strain
- They used a non-pathogen strain in the experiment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonpathogenic organism
- More descriptive phrase; non-pathogen is the shorter noun form.
Opposites
Word family
- pathogen noun
- A microorganism that causes disease.
- pathogenic adjective
- Able to cause disease.
- nonpathogenic adjective
- Not causing disease.
Commonly confused: non-pathogen or pathogen?
non-pathogen vs pathogen
A pathogen causes disease; a non-pathogen does not.
Practice
What is a non-pathogen?
Choose one answer.
The prefix non- means 'not', so a non-pathogen is not a pathogen; it does not cause disease.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-pathogen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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