suprainfection

9.9

A new infection after antibiotics caused by germs that resist treatment

noun
/ˌsuːprəɪnˈfɛkʃən/

Specialized

: suprainfección

Patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics are at risk of developing a suprainfection with resistant bacteria.

Examples

Physicians monitor for signs of suprainfection during prolonged antibiotic therapy.
A suprainfection can complicate the treatment of the original disease, making management more challenging.
A suprainfection can be serious.
Watch out for suprainfections!
Patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics are at risk of developing a suprainfection with resistant bacteria.
Physicians monitor for signs of suprainfection during prolonged antibiotic therapy.
A suprainfection can complicate the treatment of the original disease, making management more challenging.

Synonyms

opportunistic infection

vssuprainfection

Specialized

2 4.9

An infection caused by germs that rarely make healthy people sick but do when the immune system is weak

is caused by normal flora disruption after antibiotics rather than immune weakness

superinfection

vssuprainfection

Specialized

1 7.8

A new illness caused by other germs that appears while someone is being treated for another illness

occurs after normal flora is disturbed, often by antibiotic treatment

Surface Forms

suprainfection singular

suprainfections plural

Morphology

suprainfection = infection (semi-transparent) = supra + infect + ion

The prefix 'supra-' indicates something above or beyond, but the specific medical context of a secondary infection is specialized.

Etymology

Suprainfection comes from supra- meaning 'above' and infection, so it literally means an infection 'on top of' another one. That's why a suprainfection is a new, extra infection that often appears after antibiotics or when normal germs are disturbed.