Microbes (8)
(Other definitions for bacteria that I've seen before include "Tiny organisms found in bait race" , "Possible cause of disease" , "I eat crab (anag)" , "Agents of infection" , "Germs or bugs" .)
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">microbes</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">('germ' can be a synonym of 'microbe')</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for germs that I've seen before include "sprouts" , "Seeds; microbes" , "Starts" , "Bugs" , "Causes of disease" .)