Infectious Disease Terms

A cell that is infected by a virus or another type of microorganism.

A type of virus that can cause abnormal tissue growth (for example, warts) and other changes to cells.

A laboratory test in which cells are scraped from the cervix to look for DNA of human papillomaviruses (HPV).

A vaccine used to prevent genital warts, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and vaginal cancer caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

HSV causes lifelong infection with two distinct types, one typically producing oral cold sores and the other typically producing genital sores.

A type of virus that infects T cells (a type of white blood cell) and can cause leukemia and lymphoma.

A type of virus that causes herpes infections and has DNA as its genetic material.

Infection is close to universal and usually clears unnoticed, and it is the small share that persists which carries any cancer risk.

A laboratory test in which cells are scraped from the cervix to look for DNA of human papillomaviruses (HPV).

Built from empty shells of the virus coat, so it shows the immune system the right shape while containing no genetic material at all.

A type of virus that infects T cells (a type of white blood cell) and can cause leukemia and lymphoma.

A condition in which the level of immunoglobulins (antibodies) in the blood is low and the risk of infection is high.

A set of pneumonia-like symptoms (such as fever, chills, coughing, and breathing problems) that occur with no sign of infection in the lung.

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

Shorthand for how well the body detects, remembers and clears threats, rather than anything a single blood test can report.

Defense rests on telling self from everything else, and its recognized failures run in both directions, too little response and too much.

Immunity is the body's capacity to resist a specific infectious agent, arising from prior exposure, vaccination, or the transfer of protective antibodies.

Immunization is the deliberate process of producing protective immunity against a specific infectious disease, most often achieved through vaccination.

Immunodeficiency can be present from birth due to a genetic cause or develop later in life from illness, medication, or other acquired factors.

A substance that increases the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease.