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Glite Dictionary
Weil's disease

Weil's disease

1 8.2
A serious infection caused by bacteria that leads to fever, yellow skin, and kidney damage
  • noun
  • /waɪlz dɪˈziːz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : enfermedad de Weil
  • Weil's disease can lead to kidney damage and liver failure if not treated promptly.

Examples

  • In tropical regions, Weil's disease is a serious threat to those who work in agriculture and come into contact with contaminated water.

  • That's the rat virus that causes Weil's disease.

    Split Second (1992)

  • He was diagnosed with Weil's disease after experiencing symptoms like jaundice and severe fever for several days.

Synonyms

leptospirosis
vsWeil's disease
  • Specialized
2 9.9

An infection from animals that causes fever and yellow skin

is a severe, sometimes fatal form with jaundice and kidney damage

Surface Forms

Weil's disease singular
Weil's diseases plural

Morphology

Weil's + disease

This is an eponymous medical term: 'Weil's' is a surname and gives no semantic information about etiology or symptoms, so a learner who knows only 'disease' cannot infer that it refers to leptospirosis. Recognizing this condition requires specific medical knowledge or prior exposure, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Weil's disease is named after the German doctor Adolf Weil, who first described the severe illness after seeing patients with 'fever', 'jaundice' and 'kidney failure'. Because he linked these signs to one infection, doctors used his name for this serious form of leptospirosis.