fomites


fomes

 [fo´mēz] (pl. fo´mites) (L.) an inanimate object or material on which disease-producing agents may be conveyed.

fom·i·tes

(fō'mi-tēz), Plural of fomes.

fomite

Any inanimate or nonpathogenic substance or material (e.g., sheets, surfaces of furniture, papers and so forth), exclusive of food, which may act as a vector for a pathogen.

fomites

Anything that has been in contact with a person suffering from an infectious disease, and which may transmit the infection to others. Fomites include sheets, towels, dressings, clothes, face flannels, crockery and cutlery, books and papers.