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Glite Dictionary
Vibrio fetus

Vibrio fetus

8.3
A type of bacteria that causes sheep to lose their unborn lambs and sometimes infects people
  • noun
  • /ˈvaɪbrioʊ ˈfiːtəs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Vibrio fetus
  • The Vibrio fetus bacterium is known to cause abortion in sheep.

Examples

  • The veterinarian identified Vibrio fetus as the cause of the sheep's abortion outbreak.

  • Farmers are advised to vaccinate livestock to protect them from infections like Vibrio fetus.

  • Advanced testing confirmed the presence of Vibrio fetus in the contaminated samples.

  • Farmers must be aware of Vibrio fetuses in their livestock.

  • The veterinarian identified Vibrio fetus as the cause of the sheep's abortion outbreak.

  • Advanced testing confirmed the presence of Vibrio fetus in the contaminated samples.

  • Farmers are advised to vaccinate livestock to protect them from infections like Vibrio fetus.

Surface Forms

Vibrio fetus singular
Vibrio fetuses plural

Morphology

vibrio + fetus

The compound combines 'vibrio' (a genus of bacteria) and 'fetus' (an unborn animal), so a learner who knows both words will likely recognize it as a bacterium and infer some relation to fetal or reproductive disease. However, as a Latin taxonomic name and a technical medical term, the precise meaning—that it is a species that causes abortion in sheep and can infect other animals or humans—is not fully predictable for a B1 learner, so the transparency is only partial.

Etymology

Vibrio fetus comes from Latin words. The name combines vibrio, meaning 'to move' because the bacteria wiggle, and fetus, meaning 'young' or 'offspring' because it was first found in aborted baby animals, so the name fits a moving bacterium that causes abortion in sheep.