what is the term used to describe the disease producing power of a microorganism
Virulence In the context of gene for gene systems, often in plants, virulence refers to a pathogen's ability to infect a resistant host.[1] In most other contexts, especially in animal systems, virulence refers to the degree of damage caused by a microbe to its host.[2] The pathogenicity of an organism - its ability to cause disease - is determined by its virulence factors.[3] The noun virulence derives from the adjective virulent. Virulent can describe either disease severity or a pathogen's infectivity.[4] The word virulent derives from the Latin word virulentus, meaning "a poisoned wound" or "full of poison."[4][5]
Sociology of health and illness Health, or lack of health, was once merely attributed to biological or natural conditions. Sociologists have demonstrated that the spread of diseases is heavily influenced by the socioeconomic status of individuals, ethnic traditions or beliefs, and other cultural factors.[3] Where medical research might gather statistics on a disease, a sociological perspective on an illness would provide insight on what external factors caused the demographics who contracted the disease to become ill.[3]