Coming from or originating outside an organism; having an external source or cause.
From Greek 'ekto-' (outside) + 'genos' (origin) + '-ous' (full of, characterized by). This formal adjective provides another means of expressing the concept of external origin in medical and biological contexts.
Doctors distinguish between ectogenous infections (you caught them from outside) and endogenous ones (your own body created them)—it's a distinction that shapes how you get treated.
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