bacterial infection

Cultural  

1. An infection caused by bacteria. The growth of many disease-causing bacteria can be halted by the use of antibiotics. (Compare viral infection.)

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Diseases caused by bacterial infections include diphtheria, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever.

Example Sentences

The ministry said Rivera's "physical and neurological deterioration" was "a consequence of a bacterial infection caused by the COVID-19 virus."

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

While chlamydia was still the most commonly reported bacterial infection overall, cases had fallen 6% since 2015 to 213,443.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Cholera, a dangerous bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and can be fatal without treatment, may be significantly reduced through diet.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks, and affects an estimated 476,000 Americans each year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Two years later, on Valentine’s Day 1884, twenty-five-year-old Roosevelt was ravaged by grief again when his mother, Martha, died of typhoid fever, a type of bacterial infection.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple