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The discovery of disease-causing pathogens is an important activity in the field of medical science, as many viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, helminthes and prions are identified as a confirmed or potential pathogen. A Centers for Disease Control program begun in 1995 identified over a hundred patients, with life-threatening illnesses which were considered to be of an infectious cause, but could not be linked to a known pathogen. The association of pathogens with disease can be a complex and controversial process, in some cases requiring decades or even centuries to achieve. ==Factors impairing identification of pathogens== Factors which have been identified as impeding the identification of pathogens include the following: :1. Lack of animal models: Experimental infection in animals has been used as a criterion to demonstrate a disease-causing ability, but for some pathogens (such as ''Vibrio cholerae'', which cause disease only in humans) animal models do not exist. In cases where animal models were not available, scientists have sometimes infected themselves or others to determine an organism's disease causing ability. :2. Pre-existing theories of disease: Before a pathogen is well-recognized, scientists may attribute the symptoms of infection to other causes, such as toxicological, psychological, or genetic causes. Once a pathogen has been associated with an illness, researchers have reported difficulty displacing these pre-existing theories. :3. Variable pathogenicity: Infection with pathogens can produce varying responses in hosts, complicating the process of showing a relationship between infection and the pathogen. In some infectious diseases, the severity of symptoms has been shown to be dependent on specific genetic traits of the host. :4. Organisms that look alike but behave differently: In some cases a harmless organism exists which looks identical to a disease causing organism with a microscope, which complicates the discovery process. :5. Lack of research effort: Slow progress has been attributed to the small numbers of researchers working on a pathogen. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of emerging infectious diseases」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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