Final answer:
An infectious agent is the main pathogen that spreads through the chain of infection, causing infectious diseases. Pathogens can be living organisms like bacteria, parasites, and fungi, or acellular entities like viruses, viroids, and prions. These pathogens invade and multiply in host tissues, causing damage and releasing toxins.
Step-by-step explanation:
An infectious agent is the main pathogen or infection-causing organism that spreads through the chain of infection. A pathogen can be a living thing such as bacteria, parasites, and fungi, or acellular such as viruses, viroids, and prions. These pathogens invade and multiply in host tissues, causing damage and releasing toxins, resulting in infectious diseases. Pathogens can be transmitted from infected to non-infected hosts through various routes, including airborne transmission, direct contact, fecal-oral transmission, and vector transmission.
The statement that an infectious agent is a pathogen that spreads through the chain of infection and that a vaccine schedule is not part of the chain is true.
An infectious agent is indeed the main pathogen or infection-causing organism that spreads through the chain of infection. Reservoirs serve as sources for pathogen growth, where they can multiply and wait to be transferred to a susceptible host. A susceptible host is an individual who receives the pathogens and provides favorable conditions for their growth and further transmission. Vaccination schedules, which outline a plan for immunization, and maintaining clean surroundings are strategies to prevent the spread of pathogens but are not elements of the chain of infection itself. Therefore, the statement is true.