hepatitis B

noun Pathology.

a form of hepatitis caused by a DNA virus (hepatitis B virus, or HBV) that persists in the blood, characterized by a long incubation period: usually transmitted by sexual contact or by injection or ingestion of infected blood or other bodily fluids.

Origin of hepatitis B

First recorded in 1970–75

Also called serum hepatitis.

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British Dictionary definitions for hepatitis b

hepatitis B

noun

a form of hepatitis caused by a virus transmitted by infected blood (as in transfusions), contaminated hypodermic needles, sexual contact, or by contact with any other body fluidFormer name: serum hepatitis

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

hepatitis b in Medicine

hepatitis B

n.

A form of viral hepatitis caused by a DNA virus that often persists in the blood serum and can cause chronic liver damage. Hepatitis B is usually transmitted by infected blood products (as through transfusion), by contaminated needles, or by exposure to infected bodily fluids through sexual intercourse.serum hepatitis