coinfection

noun

co·​in·​fec·​tion kō-in-ˈfek-shən How to pronounce coinfection (audio)
variants or co-infection
plural coinfections or co-infections
: concurrent infection of a cell or organism with two or more pathogenic agents
coinfection with influenza A and SARS-CoV-2
coinfect transitive verb
or co-infect
coinfected or co-infected; coinfecting or co-infecting; coinfects or co-infects
Some experts suspect that superspreaders might have a more virulent strain of coronavirus or be co-infected with other microbes. Aparisim Ghosh

Examples of coinfection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The risk of death from babesiosis turned out to be higher among the people who were infected with that disease alone, as opposed to those who had coinfections. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 16 Oct. 2024 Related article To prevent supercharged flu virus, CDC pushes seasonal flu vaccines to farmworkers at risk of coinfection with bird flu The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bases decisions on its surveillance. Amy Maxmen, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024 The vaccine will not prevent bird flu infection, but can reduce the risk of coinfection with avian and flu viruses. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 30 May 2024 Globally, about 75% of patients hospitalized with COVID were given antibiotics, despite only 8% having a bacterial coinfection where antibiotics would be medically useful. Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for coinfection 

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coinfection was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near coinfection

Cite this Entry

“Coinfection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coinfection. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

coinfection

noun
co·​in·​fec·​tion
variants or co-infection
: concurrent infection of a cell or organism with two or more pathogenic agents
pneumonia caused by coinfection with an orthomyxovirus and a streptococcus
coinfect transitive verb
or co-infect
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