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Glite Dictionary
heterophile antibody

heterophile antibody

1 7.5
A substance in the blood that reacts to parts from other animals and often appears in people with glandular fever
  • noun
  • /ˌhɛtərəˈfaɪl ˈæntɪˌbɑdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : anticuerpo heterófilo
  • The "monospot" is a quick, inexpensive screening test based on the presence of serum heterophile antibodies.

Examples

  • An EBV heterophile antibody test (Monospot) was negative, and she was treated for bacterial pharyngitis.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Her serum was positive for the heterophile antibody as well as the EBV capsid antibody, but negative for the EBV nuclear antibody.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The "monospot" is a quick test that detects the presence of heterophile antibodies in serum.

  • Infectious mononucleosis is often diagnosed using a test that identifies heterophile antibodies in the blood.

  • A positive result for heterophile antibodies may indicate an infection with Epstein-Barr virus.

Synonyms

heterophile
vsheterophile antibody
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An antibody that reacts with substances from a different species, often used in medical tests

is found especially in patients with infectious mononucleosis rather than generally
heterophil antibody
vsheterophile antibody
  • Specialized
7.8

An antibody in blood that helps doctors diagnose glandular fever

is defined by reacting with antigens from different species rather than only marking infection

Surface Forms

heterophile antibody singular
heterophile antibodies plural

Morphology

heterophile + antibody

The noun combines 'heterophile' (an antibody that cross-reacts with other species' antigens) with 'antibody' (an immune protein), so the overall meaning—a cross-reactive antibody—is directly derivable from the parts. Although the term is specialized medical vocabulary, its semantics are compositional and follow normal English compound formation, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Heterophile antibody comes from the parts hetero and phile, which mean 'different' and 'love', and antibody means a blood protein that fights germs. So a heterophile antibody is an antibody that 'likes' or reacts with things from other animals, and that's why doctors look for it in blood tests for infections like glandular fever.