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Secondary infections

Contents of this page:

Illustrations

Secondary infection
Secondary infection
Immune system structures
Immune system structures

Definition    Return to top

A secondary infection is an infection that occurs during or after treatment of another, already existing infection. It may result from the treatment itself or from alterations in the immune system.

For example, a yeast infection that occurs after antibiotic treatment of a bacterial infection is a secondary infection. The development of bacterial pneumonia following a viral upper respiratory infection is another example.

Update Date: 8/6/2007

Updated by: D. Scott Smith, MD., MSc., DTM., Prof. Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Dept. of Human Biology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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