viral load

[ vahy-ruhl lohd ]

nounPathology.
  1. the amount or concentration of a virus in a given quantity of blood, saliva, mucus, or other bodily fluid, often expressed as the number of viral particles per milliliter of the fluid: When HIV treatment is effective, the viral load in the blood becomes undetectable.The droplets from a flu-infected person’s sneeze leave their viral load on whatever surface they land on.

Origin of viral load

1
First recorded in 1965–70
  • Also called vi·ral bur·den [vahy-ruhl bur-dn] /ˈvaɪ rəl ˈbɜr dn/ .

Words Nearby viral load

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use viral load in a sentence

Scientific definitions for viral load

viral load

[ rəl ]


  1. The concentration of a virus, such as HIV, in the blood.

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