Definition
Disease causing.
Use in clinical context
Pathogenic can refer to anything that causes disease. This includes genomic variants and microorganisms such as viruses. A genomic variant is termed pathogenic if there is a direct link between the change and a particular condition or syndrome. Not all genomic variants and microorganisms are pathogenic, so it can take a lot of work to determine pathogenicity. Once this has been achieved it is possible to prescribe appropriate treatment.
