viral load

American  

[vahy-ruhl lohd] / ˈvaɪ rəl ˈloʊd /

noun

Pathology.

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: The droplets from a flu-infected person’s sneeze leave their viral load on whatever surface they land on.

   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.

---

viral load Scientific  

/ vī′rəl /

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

---

Etymology

Origin of viral load

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

viral load

The trial evaluated the regimen’s success in preventing HIV-1 replication using viral load, a measure of the amount of HIV genetic material in the blood.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

"I'm moving in the dark, in the darkness. I don't know whether my viral load is suppressed. I'm traumatised."

From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2025

Further testing suggested she had a high viral load of a novel influenza A infection, which researchers eventually discovered to be avian flu caused by the H5N1 virus.

From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2025

But some people, known as "post-treatment controllers," have been able to discontinue their treatment while maintaining an undetectable viral load for several years.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2024

The treatment is effective enough that you reduce your viral load to the point where an infection doesn’t show up on a test; then after treatment ends, your viral load increases again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2023