secondary infection

secondary infection — noun

1. a new infection that takes hold in the same area of the body where an earlier il

1.名詞B2
釋義

a new infection that takes hold in the same area of the body where an earlier illness has already caused damage, often because the tissue is weak or the immune system is busy fighting the first problem

例句

After a week of severe flu, Mr. Chen developed a secondary infection in his lungs.

collocation: develop a secondary infection

Scratching chickenpox spots left tiny wounds where a secondary infection could take hold.

collocation: secondary infection + take hold

同義詞
  • superinfection

    more technical; often used when the second infection resists the drugs treating the first

反義詞
  • primary infection

    the first infection, which makes the body vulnerable to a secondary one

用法筆記

Distinguish from co-infection: a secondary infection follows and results from an earlier illness; a co-infection happens at the same time. Also different from an opportunistic infection, which takes advantage of any weakened immune system, not necessarily at the site of a prior infection.

常見錯誤

❌She caught a secondary infection from the hospital visitor.
✅She developed a secondary infection after her immune system was weakened by pneumonia.
💡a secondary infection arises because of an earlier illness damaging the body, not simply from exposure to a new germ.