Agent
Agent
Agent (/ˈeɪdʒənt/), from the Latin agens, meaning "one who acts", is a term used in various fields of medicine to denote a substance or factor that brings about a certain effect or change.
Medical Definition
In medicine, an agent refers to a substance, such as a chemical or biological entity, that is capable of producing an effect or change in the body. This can include therapeutic agents, which are used to treat disease, or pathogenic agents, which can cause disease.
Types of Agents
There are several types of agents used in medicine, including:
- Therapeutic agent: A substance used to treat disease or improve health. Examples include drugs, vaccines, and medical devices.
- Pathogenic agent: A biological agent, such as a virus, bacteria, or parasite, that can cause disease.
- Pharmacological agent: A chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease, or to promote well-being.
- Biological agent: A virus, bacteria, fungus, or other microorganism that can cause disease in humans.
Related Terms
- Pharmacology: The study of drugs and their effects on the body.
- Pathology: The study of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences.
- Therapeutics: The branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease and the action of remedial agents.
- Biomedicine: The application of the principles of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to clinical medicine.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Agent
- Wikipedia's article - Agent
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