autoinfection

American

[aw-toh-in-fek-shuhn] / ˌɔ toʊ ɪnˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

Pathology.

reinfection by a pathogen that is already in the body.
infection caused by transfer of a pathogen from one part of the body to another.

autoinfection British

/ ˌɔːtəʊɪnˈfɛkʃən /

noun

infection by a pathogenic agent already within the body or infection transferred from one part of the body to another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of autoinfection

First recorded in 1900–05; auto- ¹ + infection

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Someone with a tapeworm can infect themselves with tapeworm eggs - a process known as autoinfection - which can pass out of the body as waste and infect others in the same home.

From BBC

Recording the case in the American Journal of Case Reports, doctors wrote that it "can only be speculated" the man's cysticercosis was transmitted through autoinfection after "improper handwashing".

From BBC

They say the case highlights the risk of "undercooked pork consumption" and subsequent autoinfection.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023