A microorganism described as extremely harmful to hosts is said to be what?

Prepare for the HESI West Coast University Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question comes with hints and explanations to help you succeed. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

A microorganism described as extremely harmful to hosts is said to be what?

Explanation:
The main idea here is virulence—the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease and harm in a host. When a microbe has a high ability to cause severe illness, we describe it as virulent. This term captures how strongly the organism can invade tissues, produce toxins, and evade the host’s defenses. So describing a microorganism as extremely harmful fits the word virulent. The other words don’t fit: volume is unrelated to disease-causing potential, ver b al isn’t a biomedical term for microbes, and a virus is a type of microorganism, not a descriptor for how harmful it is.

The main idea here is virulence—the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease and harm in a host. When a microbe has a high ability to cause severe illness, we describe it as virulent. This term captures how strongly the organism can invade tissues, produce toxins, and evade the host’s defenses. So describing a microorganism as extremely harmful fits the word virulent.

The other words don’t fit: volume is unrelated to disease-causing potential, ver b al isn’t a biomedical term for microbes, and a virus is a type of microorganism, not a descriptor for how harmful it is.

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