Spread germs near duck (9)
I believe the answer is:
merganser
'duck' is the definition.
(merganser is a kind of duck)
'spread germs near' is the wordplay.
'spread' indicates anagramming the letters.
'germs'+'near'='germsnear'
'germsnear' anagrammed gives 'MERGANSER'.
(Other definitions for merganser that I've seen before include "Diver" , "Together saw bill" , "Diving duck" , "Sawbill" , "Diving bird" .)