poliovirus

noun

po·​lio·​vi·​rus ˈpō-lē-(ˌ)ō-ˌvī-rəs How to pronounce poliovirus (audio)
variants or less commonly polio virus
: an enterovirus (species Poliovirus) occurring in three distinct serotypes that cause polio

Note: The poliovirus is typically transmitted orally by food, drink, or hands that are contaminated with infected fecal matter. The virus may sometimes be transmitted by the respiratory droplets or saliva of an infected individual. The poliovirus multiplies in the intestinal tract and sometimes spreads in the bloodstream throughout the body.

Examples of poliovirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Vaccinators in the country’s northeast, the center of the poliovirus outbreak, search cars for unvaccinated children at roadside checkpoints manned by Taliban soldiers. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023 The wild poliovirus infected around 350,000 children in 1988. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2024 Yes, wild polioviruses were reported in 2023 by only two countries. Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 Dec. 2023 Here's Why Childhood Vaccines Aren't Really Dangerous Polio vaccine The inactivated poliovirus (IPV) vaccine, protects your baby from polio, a contagious, debilitating, and potentially deadly disease. Taryn Chapman, Parents, 28 Sep. 2023 The job of wiping out paralyzing polioviruses, begun in 1988, was meant to be completed at the turn of the millennium. Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 Dec. 2023 However, your baby will need boosters of the following: Rotavirus (dose 2) DTaP (dose 2) Hib (dose 2) Pneumococcal conjugate (dose 2) Inactivated poliovirus (dose 2) 6 Month Vaccines The infant vaccine schedule introduces a couple of new vaccines at 6 months—COVID-19 and the flu shot. Parents Editors, Parents, 14 Nov. 2023 Throughout the 1940s, researchers learned a lot about the poliovirus. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023 In addition to testing for AFM, health care providers are urged to test for poliovirus in people suspected of having AFM because of the similarity in symptoms. Carma Hassan, CNN, 27 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poliovirus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

polio- (in poliomyelitis) + virus, later taken as New Latin

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poliovirus was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near poliovirus

Cite this Entry

“Poliovirus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poliovirus. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

poliovirus

noun
po·​lio·​vi·​rus ˈpō-lē-(ˌ)ō-ˌvī-rəs How to pronounce poliovirus (audio)
variants also polio virus
: a picornavirus of the genus Enterovirus (species Poliovirus) that occurs in three distinct serotypes that cause polio

Note: The poliovirus is typically transmitted orally by food, drink, or hands that are contaminated with infected fecal matter. The virus may sometimes be transmitted by the respiratory droplets or saliva of an infected individual. The poliovirus multiplies in the intestinal tract and sometimes spreads in the bloodstream throughout the body.

A distinctive characteristic of acute polio infection is the predilection of the poliovirus for the nerve cells that control muscles.Lauro S. Halstead, Scientific American

More from Merriam-Webster on poliovirus

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