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Glite Dictionary
leukocidin

leukocidin

1 9.9
A substance made by some bacteria that kills the blood cells that fight infection
  • noun
  • /ˌluːkəˈsaɪdɪn/
  • Specialized
: leucocidina
  • Researchers studied how leukocidin attacks and destroys white blood cells in the body.

Examples

  • The presence of leukocidin can lead to more severe symptoms in bacterial infections.

  • The bacteria produce leukocidin to evade the immune response.

  • Some strains of Staphylococcus bacteria produce leukocidin, making infections more dangerous.

  • Research shows that leukocidin can be lethal to white blood cells.

  • The bacterium produces leukocidin, which attacks and destroys the body's white blood cells.

  • During the infection, leukocidin weakens the immune response by eliminating vital white blood cells.

  • Researchers found that the presence of leukocidin in certain strains of bacteria increases the risk of severe illness.

Surface Forms

leukocidin singular
leukocidins plural

Morphology

leukocidin = leukocyte (opaque) = leuko + cidin

Although built from the combining form 'leuko-' and the bound element '-cidin', these are specialized medical elements unfamiliar to average learners, so the immediate derivation is not recoverable for most.

Etymology

The word leukocidin comes from Greek leuko- meaning 'white' and the ending -cidin meaning 'to kill', like in pesticide which kills pests. So leukocidin is a poison made by bacteria that kills white blood cells, which is what the word means today.