fomite

pathology

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Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

A fomite is an inanimate object that can carry infectious organisms and transmit them to others. Examples include dishes, doorknobs, or articles of clothing. While dust can also harbor germs like those causing tetanus, and water can transmit diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever, fomites specifically refer to objects that facilitate this transmission through direct contact. The term is useful when infections spread without obvious direct contact between a living source and a victim.123

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infectious disease
The inanimate environment
…so, they are known as fomites.
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…so, they are known as fomites.
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Walter Reed
…yellow fever was spread by fomites—i.e., articles such as bedding and clothing that had been used by a yellow-fever patient. As late as 1898 a U.S. official report ascribed the spread to this cause. Meanwhile, other methods of transmission had been suggested. In 1881 the Cuban physician and epidemiologist Carlos…
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…yellow fever was spread by fomites—i.e., articles such as bedding and clothing that had been used by a yellow-fever patient. As late as 1898 a U.S. official report ascribed the spread to this cause. Meanwhile, other methods of transmission had been suggested. In 1881 the Cuban physician and epidemiologist Carlos…
Read More