infection

infection definition - medical

in·fec·tion (ĭn-fĕkˈshən)

noun
  1. Invasion by and multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms in a bodily part or tissue, which may produce subsequent tissue injury and progress to overt disease through a variety of cellular or toxic mechanisms.
  2. An instance of being infected.
  3. An agent or a contaminated substance responsible for one's becoming infected.
  4. The pathological state resulting from having been infected.
  5. An infectious disease.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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