pathogenicity; virulence
Technical term used in medicine and biology to describe the ability of a microorganism to cause disease.
The pathogenicity of this bacterium is very high.
Research is underway to investigate the virulence of the virus.
pathogenic E. coli; enterohemorrhagic E. coli
highly pathogenic avian influenza; H5N1
Compound of 病原 (pathogen) + 性 (nature, property). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows a common pattern for technical nouns describing properties.