in ‧ fec ‧ tion W3 /ɪnˈfekʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ infection , ↑ disinfectant ; adjective : ↑ infectious , ↑ infected ; verb : ↑ infect ≠ ↑ disinfect ; adverb : ↑ infectiously ]
1 . [countable] a disease that affects a particular part of your body and is caused by ↑ bacteria or a ↑ virus :
The baby had an ear infection.
infection of/in
an infection of the bladder
2 . [uncountable] when someone is infected by a disease:
Always sterilize the needle to prevent infection.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have an infection
I think you’ve got an infection, so you need to rest.
▪ suffer from an infection
He was suffering from an infection of the lungs.
▪ get/develop an infection
She got a nasty throat infection which meant she couldn’t sing.
▪ treat an infection
Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.
▪ fight/combat an infection
A new drug is being developed to combat the infection.
▪ spread an infection ( also transmit an infection formal )
Pregnant women can transmit the infection to their unborn child.
▪ an infection spreads
The infection spread to her chest.
▪ an infection clears up (=goes away)
Although the infection cleared up, he still felt weak.
▪ be exposed to an infection
He was exposed to the infection while he was travelling in India.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + infection
▪ serious/severe
He was admitted to hospital with a serious infection.
▪ slight/minor (=not serious)
She’s suffering from a slight infection.
▪ nasty informal (=a serious infection)
He’s got a really nasty infection.
▪ acute medical (=a serious infection that develops suddenly)
The disease usually occurs as an acute infection of the throat.
▪ an ear/eye infection
She was given antibiotics for an ear infection.
▪ a chest infection (=an infection in the lungs)
I’ve got a bad cough, but the doctor says it isn’t a chest infection.
▪ a throat/kidney etc infection
He developed a severe throat infection.
▪ a bacterial/viral/fungal infection (=caused by bacteria, a virus, or a fungus)
Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections.
▪ a secondary infection medical (=an additional infection that happens as a result of the main illness)
Often, scratching the skin because it is itchy results in secondary infection.
■ phrases
▪ the source of an infection
Doctors are trying to locate the source of the infection.
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THESAURUS
▪ illness something wrong with your health which makes you feel ill:
Her husband was in hospital for six months with a serious illness.
▪ disease a particular illness, especially one that spreads to other people easily or that affects one part of your body:
childhood diseases such as measles and chickenpox
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heart disease
▪ infection an illness that is caused by ↑ bacteria or a ↑ virus :
His cough got worse and worse and became a chest infection.
▪ condition a health problem that affects you permanently or for a long time:
a medical condition such as asthma
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a heart condition
▪ problem [usually after a noun] something that is wrong with a particular part of your body or your health in general:
a serious back problem
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health problems
▪ trouble [singular, only after a noun] illness or pain that affects a particular part of your body:
I’ve had a bit of stomach trouble.
▪ disorder formal an illness that prevents a particular organ of your body from working properly, or affects the way you behave:
a liver disorder
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a blood disorder
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Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder.