varicella zoster virus
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- noun
- /ˌværɪˈsɛlə ˈzɔstər ˈvaɪrəs/
- Specialized
:
virus varicela zóster
- The patient was also negative for Borrelia burgdorferi and varicella-zoster virus.
- causes chickenpox and shingles
Examples
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This vaccine (Zostavax) guards against the varicella-zoster virus, which causes shingles as well as chickenpox.
Academic text (2015) -
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus.
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Shingles occurs when the varicella zoster virus reactivates in someone who had chickenpox.
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The varicella zoster virus is responsible for both chickenpox and shingles in humans.
Synonyms
A virus that causes chickenpox and shingles in people
A virus that causes chickenpox and later shingles
A virus that causes the painful skin rash shingles
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a compositional, technical name: 'virus' combined with the disease names 'varicella' and 'zoster' directly indicates a virus associated with varicella (chickenpox) and zoster (shingles). Although the terms are medical, the meaning is literal and non-idiomatic, so a learner who already knows the constituent words would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Varicella zoster virus comes from old words: varicella is a little form of the word for 'smallpox' and was used for 'chickenpox', while zoster means 'belt' because shingles often makes a band or belt of rash on one side of the body. So the name points to the two illnesses this virus causes: 'chickenpox' and belt-like 'shingles'.