What's the difference between contagious and infectious?

Question

I was at a party the other night were a guy posed this question and stated that there is no simple answer. I then asked if there actually is a difference between the two. That too, he responded stating that there is no simple answer. So first of all, is there a difference between contagious and infectious? If so, what is the difference? Thanks.

Answer 1

A contagious disease can be transmitted from one living organism to another by direct or indirect means.
The agent that causes the disease is called infectious.
An infectious disease is caused by a pathogenic organism.
A contagious disease is an infectious disease that can be passed on either directly by touching, or by getting pathogenic organisms on an object that can carry them

Answer 2

Infectious simply means the disease is caused by an organism (virus, bacteria, fungus, protozoan, etc.). Influenza, tetanus, tuberculosis and athlete's foot are infectious. Cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis are non-infectious.

Contagious refers to infectious diseases that can be passed from a sick person to healthy person. Or, to look at it from the other perspective, diseases you can catch from someone who has the disease. Influenza, tuberculosis and chickenpox are contagious. Septicemia, appendicitis, tetanus and food poisoning are infectious, but not contagious.
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