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Glite Dictionary
protozoal infection

protozoal infection

5.9
An illness caused by tiny single-celled germs that live in the body
  • noun
  • /ˌproʊtəˈzoʊəl ɪnˈfɛkʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : infección protozoaria
  • The doctor prescribed medication to treat her protozoal infection after reviewing her symptoms.

Examples

  • Efficacy for the diagnosis of protozoal infections and helminthic infestations has also been established in many instances.

    Blog text (8)

  • The situation is more complicated when protozoal infections and helminthic infestations are concerned since they take place in countries where this technology is not available.

    Blog text (8)

  • In tropical regions, many people suffer from protozoal infections due to contaminated water sources.

  • Preventing protozoal infections often requires proper sanitation and clean drinking water.

Surface Forms

protozoal infection singular
protozoal infections plural

Morphology

protozoal + infection

The phrase is fully compositional: the adjective 'protozoal' specifies the pathogen type and 'infection' denotes a disease, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer an infection caused by protozoa. This adjective + noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and therefore immediately interpretable to learners.

Etymology

Protozoal infection comes from protozoa, a word that means 'first animals' and refers to very small, single-celled creatures. When these tiny creatures enter a person and cause sickness, we call it a protozoal infection, so the name links the little organisms to the illness.