viral infection

[ (veye-ruhl) ]

An infection caused by a virus. At present, viral infections cannot be treated with antibiotics. (Compare bacterial infection.)

Nearby words

viral antigen, viral dysentery, viral envelope, viral hemagglutination, viral hepatitis, viral infection, viral load, viral marketing, viral tropism, virality, virazole

Note

Diseases caused by viral infections include herpes, chicken pox, hepatitis, influenza, and the common cold.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.