Virus medical dictionary

Surgery to improve blood flow to the heart by diverting blood around a blocked artery. Often seen in breast tissue by mammography or in coronary arteries by x-ray or cardiac CT scans. Also known as trabecular bone. Carbohydrates are one of three primary nutrients along with fats and proteins. Also called sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest usually occurs as a result of a rapid ventricular rhythm ventricular tachycardia or a chaotic one ventricular fibrillation. Death occurs within minutes unless cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation are available.

Commonly known as CPR. Also known as cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardioversion can be external, using pads applied to the chest, or internal, from a pacemaker-like device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator ICD. The carotid arteries supply blood to the brain. Sometimes called carotid artery stenosis. It is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke. CBC: Abbreviation for complete blood count—tests run on a blood sample to provide information on red cells, white cells, and platelets.

CCU: Abbreviation for coronary care unit, a ward in a hospital that provides specialized care and extensive monitoring for patients with heart problems. Celiac disease can interfere with the proper absorption of nutrients from food.

More commonly known as earwax. Also called cervical headache. Cheyne-Stokes respiration: Abnormal breathing where cycles of deep, labored breathing where cycles of deep, labored breathing are followed by cycles of weak breathing that can result in a total, temporary lack of airflow.

Also known as scarring alopecia. Circle of Willis: A circle of arteries at the base of the brain, connecting major brain arteries and supplying blood to all parts of the brain. CK: Abbreviation for creatine kinase, an enzyme found in the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle.

Levels of creatine kinase are tested to diagnose certain illnesses. Colles fracture: A break at the end of the main bone of the forearm, the radius. It compacts and moves solid waste. Also called a migraine without aura. Also called cortical bone or lamellar bone. A broad panel of screening tests that examine different parts of the blood and can be used to diagnose anemia, infection, and many other diseases. Key signs are inability to accept the death; frequent nightmares and intrusive, upsetting memories; detachment from others; constant yearning for the deceased; and excessive loneliness.

Sometimes called traumatic or chronic grief. Congestive heart failure referred specifically to the type of heart failure associated with the accumulation of excess fluid in the lungs or extremities.

It is often used to immunize babies and young children. Often called heart disease or coronary heart disease. The corpus luteum secretes the hormone progesterone to stimulate the growth of the endometrium. Also called compact bone.

They are used to treat a wide range of health problems. COX-2 inhibitors: Abbreviation for cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, medications that reduce pain and swelling by targeting a particular enzyme known as cyclooxygenase-2 COX CPAP: Abbreviation for continuous positive airway pressure, a therapy for obstructive sleep apnea in which a machine delivers a continuous stream of air which prevents the collapse of the airway during sleep.

CPR: Abbreviation for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a combination of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing that keep oxygenated blood circulating to the brain and tissues. Also called giant cell arteritis. C-reactive protein: A protein made by the liver. High amounts of C-reactive protein may indicate that arteries are clogged atherosclerosis. Can be used to detect heart attack or muscle damage from other diseases.

Doctors sometimes test creatinine levels to examine kidney function. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A rare, untreatable, rapid form of dementia that is fatal.

Crohn's disease: A chronic disease that causes swelling of the digestive tract, pain, and diarrhea. Also a restoration that covers the crown of the tooth. CRP: Abbreviation for C-reactive protein, a protein made by the liver.

CT: Computerized x-rays that provide detailed views of the body and brain. Also known as a computed tomography CT scan. CT angiography: Use of a CT scan and an injectable dye to show arteries and blood vessels in detail. Cushing's syndrome: A disorder caused by high levels of the stress-hormone cortisol resulting in damage to the body, including abdominal obesity, rounded red face, and other symptoms. This increases blood flow to the penis, causing an erection. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Thanks for visiting. ABBR: echovirus An orphan virus that was accidentally discovered in human feces and is not known to be associated with a disease. Initially, 33 echovirus serotypes were designated, but numbers 10 and 28 have been reclassified.

Various serotypes have been associated with aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, acute upper respiratory infection, enteritis, pleurodynia, and myocarditis. SEE: enteric cytopathogenic human orphan virus. SEE: coltivirus. A virus that causes infectious disease but is so small that it retains infectivity after passing through a filter of the Berkefeld type. SEE: Berkefeld filter. A rabies virus stabilized and modified but only partially attenuated by serial passage through rabbits.

SEE: Spumavirus. It may cause fevers. It has been isolated in Macquarie Island, Australia. SEE: Hepatitis G virus. An arenavirus from the Tacaribe virus group that chronically infects rodents. It is the cause of sporadic outbreaks of Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever. A phlebovirus identified in Missouri as a cause of an influenza-like illness.

It causes fever, anorexia, diarrhea, fatigue, and malaise. A virus that permits a defective virus present in the same cell to replicate. SEE: defective virus. It is remotely related to hepatitis C virus. It causes chronic viremia but does not seem to cause hepatitis or liver damage. After initial contact with the skin or mucous membranes, the virus migrates along nerve fibers to sensory ganglia, where it establishes a latent infection.

Under a variety of stimuli, such as sexual contact, exposure to ultraviolet light, febrile illnesses, or emotional stress, it may reappear, traveling back to the site of initial contact although the vast majority of herpes simplex infections are neither recognized nor symptomatic. The rash caused by the infection has a red base, on which small blisters cluster. Herpetic rashes on the mouth or nose are called cold sores or fever blisters. Some infections with HSV may involve the brain and meninges; these typically cause fevers, headaches, altered mental status, seizures, or coma, requiring parenteral therapy with antiviral drugs.

In newborns, infection involving the internal organs also may occur. Experienced ophthalmologists should manage ocular infection with HSVs. Health care providers are at risk for herpetic whitlow finger infections from contact with infected mucous membranes if gloves and meticulous hand hygiene are not used. Prescribed antiviral agents and analgesics are administered. Their use is explained to the patient and instruction is given about adverse effects to report.

The patient with HSV-1 is instructed to avoid skin-to-skin contact with uninfected people when lesions are present or prodromal symptoms are felt.

To decrease the discomfort from oral lesions, the patient is advised to use a soft toothbrush or sponge stick, a saline- or bicarbonate-based not alcohol-based mouthwash, and oral anesthetics such as viscous lidocaine, if necessary. He or she should eat soft foods. Use of lip balm with sunscreen reduces reactivation of oral lesions. The patient with genital herpes should wash his or her hands carefully after using the bathroom.

He or she also should avoid sexual intercourse during the active stage of the disease and should practice safe sex. A pregnant woman must be advised of the potential risk to the infant during vaginal delivery and to use cesarean delivery if she has an HSV outbreak when labor begins and her membranes have not ruptured. The patient with genital herpes may experience feelings of powerlessness. He or she requires assistance to identify coping mechanisms, strengths, and support resources; should be encouraged to voice feelings about perceived changes in sexuality and behavior; and should be provided with current information about the disease and treatment options.

A referral is made for additional counseling as appropriate. Caregivers with active oral or cutaneous lesions should avoid providing patient care. SEE: Varicella-zoster virus. SEE: herpesvirus. HIV-2, first discovered in West Africa in , causes a loss of immune function and the subsequent development of opportunistic infections identical to those associated with HIV-1 infections. The two types developed from separate strains of simian immunodeficiency virus.

In the U. SEE: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. SEE: papillomavirus. An RNA virus that infects the respiratory tract of humans as well as birds, pigs, dogs, and horses , causing influenza. It is a roughly spherical virus.

It is composed of eight segments, including a nucleoprotein which folds its nucleic acids and helps them to be transcribed , a hemagglutinin which helps it to enter cells , a neuraminidase which helps it to bud out of infected cells , several transcriptases which make copies of the viral RNA , a matrix protein which supports the outer membrane , and several nonstructural proteins.

The virus mutates frequently and causes annual disease outbreaks, some of which pandemics affect millions of people. It can be treated with antiviral drugs and prevented with annual vaccinations that target its frequently evolving antigens. SEE: influenza. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes, causing fevers, encephalitis, and meningitis. A DNA papovavirus that causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in immunosuppressed patients.

It is carried asymptomatically by a large percentage of the population. An arenavirus that chronically infects rodents. It is the cause of sporadic outbreaks of Argentine hemorrhagic fever, a potentially lethal infection.

A single-stranded RNA virus transmitted to humans by tick bite. It causes a two-stage illness: fever followed by a brief remission, and then meningoencephalitis, hemorrhagic pneumonia, and hepatic and splenic disruption. It causes mild disease in humans. Its genetic similarity to other tick-borne encephalitis viruses makes it a candidate for the development of encephalitis vaccines.

A virus that has the ability to infect the host, initially causes little or no evidence of illness but persists for the lifetime of the infected host, and may produce a clinically apparent disease later on by a specific triggering mechanism. This occurs with herpes simplex virus, which remains latent in sensory ganglia and is reactivated by trauma to the skin supplied by the distal sensory nerves associated with these ganglia. After reactivation, the virus may cause localized or generalized lesions in the affected area and the central nervous system.

A virus that ordinarily occurs in the host in a noninfective state but is activated and demonstrated by indirect methods. The virus is found primarily in the Amazon. Symptoms of the disease include severe joint and muscle pain, fever and chills, ocular pain and headache, diarrhea, rash, and vomiting.

ABBR: NiV A member of the family of paramyxoviruses that can cause outbreaks of encephalitis and respiratory disease in humans. It is transmitted to humans from infected swine, e. It commonly causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The incubation period ranges from 18 to 72 hr. Outbreaks are usually self-limited. Intestinal signs and symptoms last for 24 to 48 hr.

Treatment, if required, is supportive and directed at maintaining hydration and electrolyte balance. An arenavirus of the Tacaribe complex of viruses that normally infects rodents in the pampas of Argentina. It may cause a fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans.

A single-stranded RNA virus in the Flavivirus genus. It can be transmitted to people by the bite of infected ticks. The software checks your hard drive for viruses. Recent Examples on the Web Much of the legal wrangling in the case has involved whether the law allows OSHA to regulate a virus as a dangerous workplace substance. First Known Use of virus , in the meaning defined at sense 4. Buying Guide Our team at The Usage has selected the best antivirus software.

Learn More About virus. Time Traveler for virus The first known use of virus was in See more words from the same year. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Style: MLA. More Definitions for virus. Kids Definition of virus. Medical Definition of virus. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Test your vocabulary with our question quiz!