virulence
Disease-causing capacity
Virulence is the severity or harmfulness of a disease or pathogen—how aggressively it attacks its host.
A virus with high virulence kills quickly; one with low virulence may spread widely but cause mild symptoms.
The word extends to any intense hostility or bitterness: the virulence of his attacks on the press, She was surprised by the virulence of the criticism.
Capacity to spread disease
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- parasiteOne exploiting a host
- microbeMicroscopic living organism
disease · infection · host · transmission · mutation · resistance · strain · outbreak
Strength or force level
- potencyDegree of strength
- strengthPower to exert force
- aggressivenessForceful, hostile disposition
- ferocityExtreme violent intensity
deadliness · lethality · severity · acuteness · morbidity · mortality · fatality · contagiousness
infectivity
Capacity to spread disease
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- parasiteOne exploiting a host
microbe · disease · infection · host · transmission · mutation · resistance · strain · outbreak · epidemic
intensity
Strength or force level
- potencyDegree of strength
- strengthPower to exert force
- aggressivenessForceful, hostile disposition
ferocity · deadliness · lethality · severity · acuteness · morbidity · mortality · fatality · contagiousness · transmissibility
toxin
Biological-origin harm agent
endotoxin · exotoxin · neurotoxin · lethal · harmful · noxious · poisonous · deadly · pathogenic · dose
venom
Injected animal poison
- spitePetty malicious intent
- maliceIntent to cause harm
- bitternessSharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
vitriol · acrimony · rancor · animosity · viciousness · nastiness · invective · scathing · caustic · vitriolic
- dangersdanger, peril, hazard, risk, menace
- disease causesetiology, causation, pathogens, genetics, infection
- epidemiologyepidemic, epidemiology, pandemic, outbreak, endemic
- pathogenicityinfectivity, transmissibility, pathogenicity, lethality, invasiveness
- viral evolutionmutation, variant, strain, mutant, recombination
- plant microbiomemycorrhizae, symbiotic bacteria, beneficial microbes, beneficial bacteria, nodulation
virulencebenignity
Gentle, harmless goodness
harmlessness · mildness · attenuation · salubriousness · weakness
virulencegentleness
Soft, kind demeanor
kindness · warmth · mildness · tenderness · sweetness
virulencebenevolence
Disposition toward doing good
virtue · beneficence · humaneness · charitableness · magnanimity
- virulent strainDangerously potent disease type