Final answer:
Adhesion is the disease virulence factor that refers to the process by which microbes gain a stable foothold on the host through a portal of entry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The disease virulence factor that refers to the process by which microbes gain a stable foothold on the host through a portal of entry and is dependent on binding between specific molecules on the host and pathogen is adhesi.on
Adhesion is the capability of pathogenic microbes to attach to the cells of the body using adhesion factors. Different pathogens use various mechanisms to adhere to the cells of host tissues.
For example, a surface protein on the pathogen allowing it to bind to host cells is one of the virulence factors that promotes adhesion and enables the pathogen to establish an infection.