Which term refers to disease caused by harmful microorganisms?

• A. Hepatitis
• B. Fungi
• C. Bacteria
• D. Pathogenic Disease

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the term describes disease caused by microorganisms that harm the body. “Pathogenic” means able to cause disease, so a disease described as pathogenic is one triggered by disease-causing agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. The word highlights that the illness comes from a harmful microorganism acting as the culprit.

Hepatitis is a specific illness, not a general descriptor for all microbe-caused diseases. Fungi and bacteria are categories of microorganisms themselves, not terms that describe a disease. So they don’t fit the concept of a disease state caused by harmful microbes. Remember, not every microbe is pathogenic—many are harmless or beneficial—so the term that covers disease caused by those harmful microbes is pathogenic disease.