A false negative indicates what about the test result?

• A. The test is 100% accurate
• B. The test detects all pathogens equally
• C. Infectious agent is present but test fails to detect it
• D. The test is negative for all pathogens

Answer: (C)

A false negative means the infectious agent is actually present in the sample, but the test misses it. This shows the test isn’t perfectly sensitive; some true infections aren’t detected due to factors like low pathogen levels, sample collection issues, timing of the test, or limits of the assay. So, the infectious agent is present but the test fails to detect it. The other statements don’t fit because a test that’s truly 100% accurate wouldn’t miss infections, a test that detects all pathogens isn’t how a specific diagnostic test works, and being negative for all pathogens goes beyond what a single test is intended to determine.