Nonpathogenic
Incapable of causing disease. For example, nonpathogenic E. coli are E. coli bacteria that do not cause disease, but instead live naturally in the large intestine.
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- Nonpenetrant trait
A genetic trait (characteristic) that is present in the genome but does not manifest itself in the individual. By contrast, a penetrant trait is one that manifests itself. If, for example, if 100 people have a particular genetic trait but only 80 of them express it, the penetrance of that trait is 80%. The trait […]
- Nonrandom
Not by chance alone. Not in keeping with the process by which an outcome is determined solely by chance, for example, by a coin flip. The opposite of nonrandom is random.
- Nonseminoma
A type of testicular cancer that arises in specialized sex cells called germ cells that give rise to sperm. Nonseminomas include embryonal carcinoma, teratoma, choriocarcinoma, and yolk sac tumor.
- Nonsense mutation
A mutation (a change) in a base in the DNA that prematurely stops the translation (reading) of messenger RNA (mRNA) resulting in a polypeptide chain that ends prematurely and a protein product that is truncated (abbreviated) and incomplete and usually nonfunctional. The nonsense mutation converts a codon (a triplet of bases) that encodes an amino […]
- Nonstructural scoliosis
A structurally normal spine that appears to have a lateral curve (scoliosis). Nonstructural scoliosis involves a temporary change of spinal curvature. This is caused by an underlying condition such as a difference in leg length, muscle spasms, or inflammatory conditions, (e.g. appendicitis), which may produce muscle spasm. Correcting the underlying problem treats this type of […]