kórokozóval

Kórokozóval is the instrumental form of the Hungarian noun kórokozó, which means a disease-causing agent or pathogen. The form kórokozóval roughly translates as “with a pathogen” and is used to indicate the agent involved in exposure, infection, or transmission. In scientific and medical texts it appears in expressions such as kórokozóval való érintkezés (exposure to a pathogen) or kórokozóval szennyezett felület (surface contaminated with a pathogen).

A kórokozó can be any organism or entity capable of causing disease in a host. This includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and prions. Pathogens act by invading host tissues, multiplying, and sometimes producing toxins or triggering immune responses that lead to illness. The outcome depends on factors such as the pathogen’s virulence, the dose encountered, the route of entry, and the host’s health and immune status.

Transmission and infection typically occur through various routes, including direct contact, respiratory droplets, contaminated surfaces, ingestion of contaminated food or water, or vectors. Preventive measures aim to reduce exposure to kórokozóval, for example through hygiene, disinfection, vaccination, safe food handling, and appropriate antimicrobial use. In diagnostics, detection and identification of pathogens guide treatment and infection-control strategies.

Etymology note: kórokozó is formed from kór (illness) and okozó (causing), with -zó denoting a causal agent, and -val is the instrumental suffix indicating “with.” The term kórokozóval thus designates acting with or by a pathogen.