pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
- noun
- /ˌnjuːmoʊˈsɪstɪs kəˈrɪni paɪˈnoʊmiə/
- Archaic
:
neumonía por Pneumocystis carinii
- Many infants born to HIV-positive mothers are at risk of developing pneumocystis carinii pneumonia due to weakened immune systems.
- a lung infection
Examples
-
The doctor diagnosed her with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia after a series of tests showed she had a fungal infection.
-
Barlow had been HIV-positive for two years and was now battling Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, the first indication that he had developed full-blown AIDS.
Fiction book (1995) -
Research indicates that pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is a significant health concern for people with compromised immune systems.
Synonyms
2
7.7
A serious lung infection caused by a fungus that affects babies and people with weak immune systems
A lung infection caused by a fungus that often affects babies and people with weak immune systems
Surface Forms
Morphology
Pneumocystis + carinii + pneumonia
The final element 'pneumonia' clearly signals a lung infection and the pattern 'X pneumonia' typically denotes a subtype caused by X, so a learner who knows the parts could infer this refers to a specific kind of pneumonia. However, 'Pneumocystis carinii' is a specialized taxonomic name (with 'carinii' not a transparent lexical item), so the exact causal agent and clinical implications are not predictable for a B1 learner, making the overall expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is named for the tiny germ Pneumocystis carinii and the word pneumonia, which means a 'lung infection'. So the name tells you it is a lung infection caused by that specific germ.