superinfection

American

[soo-per-in-fek-shuhn] / ˈsu pər ɪnˌfɛk ʃən /

noun

Pathology.

marked proliferation of a parasitic microorganism during antimicrobial treatment for another infection.

Etymology

Origin of superinfection

First recorded in 1920–25; super- + 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.

The lawsuit, citing hospital records, claimed her death was “set in motion due to an Influenza A infection with staph superinfection.”

From Fox News

If more than one virus enters the cell, it would be a waste, as only one can replicate once inside, and many viruses have ways to prevent this "superinfection".

From BBC

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