cryptococcal
1
8.9
- adjective
- /ˌkrɪptoʊˈkoʊkəl/
- Specialized
- Information clearly is needed to determine where in the United States C. gattii infections pose a public health concern and where clinicians need to maintain an elevated index of suspicion for C. gattii infection, particularly for otherwise healthy persons who have signs and symptoms of CNS disease, in whom cryptococcal infection might not be considered in the differential diagnoses.
- cryptococcal infection
Examples
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Doctors are currently studying the effects of cryptococcal meningitis on patients with compromised immune systems.
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Species identification of cryptococcal isolates requires specialized agar; however, most clinical laboratories do not identify isolates to the species level.
Academic text (2013) -
In patients with weakened immune systems, cryptococcal infections can lead to severe health issues if not treated promptly.
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A cryptococcal test is essential for diagnosing the condition in individuals with certain risk factors.
Synonyms
22
4.3
Related to living things like mould or mushrooms
Surface Forms
Morphology
cryptococcal = Cryptococcus (transparent) = cryptococcus + al
Formed by adding the productive adjectival suffix '-al' to the genus name 'Cryptococcus', so knowing the base makes the relation clear.
Etymology
The word cryptococcal comes from crypto- meaning 'hidden' (as in cryptic) and coccus meaning 'berry' (a round cell), with -al making it a describing word. The fungus was named Cryptococcus because its round cells look like tiny 'berries' hiding in the body, so cryptococcal means 'relating to the Cryptococcus fungus'.