Infectious Disease Terms

Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection best known for causing severe, prolonged coughing fits, especially dangerous in young infants.

The process by which a phagocyte (a type of white blood cell) surrounds and destroys foreign substances (such as bacteria) and removes dead cells.

A drug used to treat infections with herpesviruses in people whose immune systems are weakened by AIDS.

The sodium salt of piperacillin, a broad-spectrum semisynthetic, ampicillin-derived ureidopenicillin antibiotic with bactericidal activity.

Piperacillin-tazobactam is a broad-spectrum antibiotic combination used to treat serious bacterial infections, including in people whose immune systems are weakened.

A crystalline antibiotic fermentation product isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces griseoluteus with antineoplastic activity.

An antibiotic isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces plicatus with antineoplastic activity.

A type of immune cell that has granules (small particles) with enzymes that are released during infections, allergic reactions, and asthma.

An polyvalent vaccine used to prevent infection by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Named for a nucleus that looks like several joined beads, these are the first white cells to reach an infection.

An N-methyl derivative of the antineoplastic antibiotic mitomycin C isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces ardus and other Streptomyces bacterial species.

A prairie wildflower turned cold remedy, and a case study in why trials of an herb disagree when every preparation differs.

An attenuated, replication-competent, oncolytic strain of Newcastle disease virus.

Rabies is a viral infection transmitted through the saliva of an infected mammal, almost always fatal once neurological symptoms appear.

A substance that is being studied in the treatment of infections caused by fungi.

A drug used to treat some infections caused by viruses and several types of cancer.

A drug used to prevent and to treat influenza virus infections.

In biology, refers to the reproduction cycle of viruses.

RNA from a virus that is used to insert genetic material into cells.

An antiviral gene that is being studied in the treatment of cancer in patients who have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.