opportunistic infection

Scientific  

/ ŏp′ər-to̅o̅-nĭs′tĭk /

1. An infection by a microorganism that normally does not cause disease but does so when lowered resistance to infection is caused by the impairment of the body's immune system.

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opportunistic infection Cultural  

1. An infection caused by a microorganism that under normal conditions would not bring about disease. Opportunistic infections occur when the body's immune system is weakened by disease or malnutrition. (See AIDS.)

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Example Sentences

A measles infection temporarily suppresses the immune system, Mina said, and it was long assumed that opportunistic infections around the time of the illness were the result of that short-term suppression.

From Los Angeles Times

Adding mpox to the list of opportunistic infections in people with advanced H.I.V. would encourage health care workers to identify and prioritize patients most at risk of severe disease and death.

From New York Times

“There is some information out there that says that too much exercise can impair some of your immune response and make you susceptible to opportunistic infections,” de Miguel says.

From Scientific American

Yet in medicine, Aspergillus is known as the cause of an opportunistic infection spawned when a compromised human immune system cannot sweep away its spores.

From Scientific American

“Another less likely way is through irritation of the respiratory system. It could create an environment for opportunistic infection in the body.”

From Washington Times