In the context of microorganisms, which term is used to describe the beneficial relationship between organisms?

The term that describes the beneficial relationship between organisms is symbiosis. This concept refers to a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological species, where at least one of the organisms derives a benefit. Symbiosis can include various forms, such as mutualism, where both organisms benefit, and other types where one may benefit without harming the other. This is significant in many ecological and biological contexts, highlighting the interconnectedness of life forms.

The other terms relate to different types of interactions: pathogenicity refers to the ability of organisms to cause disease, commensalism describes a relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, and parasitism is where one organism benefits at the expense of the other. Understanding these distinctions is crucial when studying the roles microorganisms play in various environments, especially in healthcare and infection control settings.