Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, and kill more people worldwide than any other single cause. The types of infectious diseases caused by various pathogens vary widely, and symptoms also vary. Infectious diseases can be spread in a number of ways, including touching, eating, drinking or breathing something that contains a pathogen. Infectious pathogens can also spread through other means, such as animal and insect bites.

This page was last updated on July 8, 2010.