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superinfection

superinfection

1 7.8
A new illness caused by other germs that appears while someone is being treated for another illness
  • noun
  • /ˌsuːpərɪnˈfɛkʃən/
  • Specialized
: superinfección
  • Patients were encouraged to report any signs of superinfection to ensure prompt treatment and prevent further complications.
  • a bacterial superinfection
  • superinfection or reinfection

Examples

  • Before corticosteroids became available, the mortality of this disease was high because of fluid loss and superinfection.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Discharge may be serious or, if bacterial superinfection has occurred (79% of cases), thick and mucoid or purulent.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Patients were encouraged not to treat recurrences but to keep them clean and dry and to report any signs of superinfection.

    Academic text (1991)
  • There were no cases of recurrence, reinfection, or superinfection.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Total skin electron beam radiation resulted in partial response, complicated by multiple bacterial superinfections.

    Academic text (2007)
  • In such a case, the presence of the new pathogen does not represent persistence; rather, it represents a superinfection or reinfection, depending on when the new pathogen appeared.

    Academic text (2003)
  • With coinfection, the clinical course is usually self-limiting because the HDV cannot outlive the transient HBV infection, but with a superinfection, the attack can be very severe.

    Academic text (1994)
  • SOT and HSCT recipients have increased rates of HZ and are at increased risk for complications of HZ, including post-herpetic neuralgia and bacterial superinfection.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The doctor explained that a superinfection can occur if a new pathogen infects an area already affected by another infection.

  • Antibiotic misuse can lead to a superinfection, making it harder to treat the original illness effectively.

Synonyms

suprainfection
vssuperinfection
  • Specialized
9.9

A new infection after antibiotics caused by germs that resist treatment

occurs during treatment more generally, often from a different pathogen rather than flora change

How Many

superinfection
  • Specialized
1 7.8
coinfection
  • Specialized
1 6.7
infection
  • Specialized
553 3.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

superinfection = infection (transparent) = super + infect + ion

Formed by the productive prefix 'super-' added to the noun 'infection', yielding the clear idea of an additional or secondary infection.

Etymology

Superinfection comes from the prefix super- meaning 'over' or 'above', as in supermarket, and infection meaning 'illness caused by germs'. So a superinfection is an infection that appears 'on top of' another infection and can make treatment harder.