a physical object that is not an animal or plant that can spread a disease to a living creature

While a tie helps to make a doctor look professional, the survey concluded that it is a "fomite" - an inanimate object capable of spreading infection. 虽然领带让医生看上去更专业，但是这项调查的结论是领带是一种“病媒“，即能够传播感染的无生命物体。

The mode of transmission of the disease is from finger or fomite to eye. 这种疾病的传播方式是从手指或污染物到眼睛。