An Inanimate Object That May Be Contaminated with a Pathogen

Question

An inanimate object that may be contaminated with a pathogen is called a ________.
A)vector
B)fomite
C)zoonoses
D)None of the choices are correct.

Accepted Answer

A fomite is any inanimate object or surface that can be contaminated with a pathogen and potentially spread the pathogen to a new host. Common examples of fomites include doorknobs, computer keyboards, and utensils. Vectors are living organisms that can spread disease, such as mosquitoes or ticks, and zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. None of these options fit as well as fomite for the given question.