Jornal de Doenças Infecciosas e Medicina Preventiva
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From Patho-puzzle to Epidem-puzzle? New Concepts in Completing Disease Puzzle

Mehrdad Alizadeh

Ecosystems are rife with various kinds of microscopic organisms or microbes. These microorganisms are responsible for a wide range of natural phenomena and functions in the environment and within other organisms. Some microbes, also known as pathogens, cause diseases and could be fatal for the host organisms and the communities. Though the epidemics are primarily initiated by pathogenicity, little is known regarding the process through which pathogens lead to mass infections. This process is similar to a puzzle with a lot of missing pieces between the starting and endpoint. The gaps in this puzzle between pathogenicity and epidemiology need to be identified to make the decision-making process effective. In this study, we propose several new concepts in which the patho-puzzle is the first step of the disease puzzle. Viewing the link between pathogenicity and epidemiology as a puzzle with multiple gaps provides a novel perspective into studying the role of microbes in epidemics.