Any biological material that helps propagate an organism to the next life cycle stage
Look up propagule in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
In
biology, a propagule is any material that functions in propagating an organism to the next stage in its life cycle, such as by
dispersal. The propagule is usually distinct in form from the parent organism. Propagules are produced by organisms such as
plants (in the form of
seeds or
spores),
fungi (in the form of
spores), and
bacteria (for example
endospores or
microbial cysts).[1]
In disease biology,
pathogens are said to generate infectious propagules, the units that transmit a
disease. These can refer to
bacteria,
viruses,
fungi, or
protists, and can be contained within host material.[2][3][4] For instance, for
influenza, the infectious propagules are carried in droplets of host
saliva or
mucus that are expelled during
coughing or
sneezing.