National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.⏎
Prion - A causative agent of infectious disease that is composed primarily of protein.⏎
Nerve Toxin - Also called neurotoxins, these refer to poisonous substances that cause damage to cells in the nervous system.⏎
Reservoir - An organism in which a parasite that is pathogenic for some other organism lives and reproduces without harming its host.⏎
Plasmid - A ring of DNA usually found in bacteria that is separate from and can replicate independently from DNA in a chromosome and can provide bacteria with some advantages, such as antibiotic resistance.⏎