Definitions of Causal Agent

Causal Agent

An agent is that or that which has the capacity to act or to produce something. Causal, on the other hand, is something linked to a cause (a reason, a motivation, or a foundation).

It is called causal agent to the factor found in the environment and which, by its nature, can generate a disorder of health to a host. These agents are causal since they are the reason, direct or indirect, for the development of a disease.

It should be remembered that, in the field of biology, a host is an organism that, on its surface or inside, houses another with whom it maintains some kind of link. A parasite, for example, is hosted on its host.

The causative agents in the dictionary can be biological agents, chemical agents, mechanical agents or physical agents and can cause disease in the organism that hosts. These agents generate alterations in functional aspects, injuries and other inconveniences or damages.

The biological agents are also known by the name of bioagent and are organisms such as a virus, a fungus, a parasite or a bacterium, or any materials biological, such as a toxin capable of producing health disorders of beings human, each with different consequences, well defined.

It is worth mentioning that in the context of so-called biological wars, human beings can use biological agents to create very harmful weapons, something that is also found as a fundamental element of bioterrorism. On our planet we can find more than 1,200 classes of biological agents.

The chemical agents, on the other hand, should not be confused with the previous ones, since they are all the chemical compounds that are used in a work activity, that have been dumped into nature or distributed through trade, either in their natural state. or having gone through some kind of industrial process.

Although all causative agents cause certain risks in common, such as diseases, chemists are distinguished by including explosions and fires, among others, on this list. In the workplace, we can distinguish three fundamental situations in which chemical agents can harm people’s health:

* constant or very frequent exposure: for example, in a work environment where there is normally steam coming from some toxic compound;

* accidental exposure: this can occur through the escape of a toxic gas outside the safe area, or the spill of certain corrosive liquids, among other cases;

* Without exposure: an explosion or fire as a result of a causative agent are clear examples.

The physical agents, meanwhile, are very common in the workplace, regardless of the field. These are energy manifestations capable of harming workers, and this includes noise, vibrations, extreme temperatures, and radiation. Spending several hours a day in an office where the air conditioner generates too low a temperature, or in an environment where noise is constant and at intensities above norms can lead to a large number of diseases of varying severity.

The human immunodeficiency virus, known by the acronym HIV, is the causative agent of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). When this virus is housed in a human being, it can trigger the aforementioned syndrome. This causative agent is transmitted between people through sexual intercourse, through breastfeeding or through contact with infected blood (by sharing a syringe, for example).

There are various social mechanisms for the control of causal agents. In the case of HIV, work is carried out on the prevention of contagion (promoting the use of condoms in sexual relations, the use of disposable needles, etc.) and on the supply of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of AIDS.

Causal Agent