OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does opportunistic infection mean? 

• OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION (noun)
  The noun OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION has 1 sense:

1. any infection caused by a microorganism that does not normally cause disease in humans; occurs in persons with abnormally functioning immune systems (as AIDS patients or transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs)

  Familiarity information: OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any infection caused by a microorganism that does not normally cause disease in humans; occurs in persons with abnormally functioning immune systems (as AIDS patients or transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("opportunistic infection" is a kind of...):

infection (the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "opportunistic infection"):

aspergillosis (an opportunistic infection by a fungus of the genus Aspergillus; characterized by inflammation and lesions of the ear and other organs)

 Context examples 

These are called opportunistic infections (OIs).

(HIV/AIDS and Infections, NIH)

Opportunistic infections occur in people with weakened immune systems.

(Opportunistic infection, NCI Dictionary)

Patients with this syndrome are at an increased risk of opportunistic infections.

(Idiopathic CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytopenia, NCI Thesaurus)

Elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of HIV-related opportunistic infections.

(Pathobiology of Wasting and Growth Retardation, NCI Thesaurus)

M. odoratus is commonly found in soil and water and has been reported to cause opportunistic infections including cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections.

(Myroides odoratus, NCI Thesaurus)

These do not include drugs used to treat symptoms or opportunistic infections associated with AIDS.

(Anti-HIV Agent, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Frequent opportunistic infections due to an underlying immunodeficiency.

(Angioimmunoblastic Lymphadenopathy, NCI Thesaurus/PDQ)

Clinical trials related to the development of vaccines and therapeutics directed against opportunistic infections associated with HIV infection.

(AIDS, Clinical Trials on Patients with Opportunistic Infections, NCI Thesaurus)

An opportunistic infection caused by the human papillomavirus in a patient with AIDS.

(AIDS-Related Human Papillomavirus Infection, NCI Thesaurus)

An opportunistic infection caused by herpes zoster in a patient with AIDS.

(AIDS-Related Herpes Zoster, NCI Thesaurus)