bacteremia

noun

bac·ter·emia | \ ˌbak-tə-ˈrē-mē-ə

Definition of bacteremia

: the presence of bacteria in the blood

Note: Bacteremia is often transient and asymptomatic but may be associated with invasion of the bloodstream from a usually localized source of infection (such as a skin wound, indwelling catheter, or urinary tract infection) and can lead to sepsis.

— compare septicemia, viremia

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Examples of bacteremia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One of the infections that spiked, rising by a third between the end of 2019 and the end of last year, was bacteremia—dissemination of infectious bacteria throughout the bloodstream, which can lead to sepsis and septic shock—caused by MRSA. — Maryn Mckenna, Wired, 10 Sep. 2021 These protect against pneumonia and other serious diseases, such as meningitis and bacteremia, from the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus. — Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 10 May 2021 The most common are a secondary bacterial pneumonia, or bacteremia (a rise of bacteria in the bloodstream), involving organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. — David Pride, Scientific American, 7 Dec. 2020 Twenty of the 34 patients did become infected, including 11 patients with Covid-19. Fourteen developed a form of pneumonia linked to the bacterial infection, four of whom also had bacteremia, a blood infection. — NBC News, 1 Dec. 2020 The pneumococcal vaccine protects you from harmful bacteria that can cause serious infections throughout your body resulting in pneumonia (lung), meningitis (brain and spinal cord), or bacteremia (bloodstream). — Courtney Schmidt, Health.com, 14 Oct. 2020 Shortly after birth, the baby showed signs of respiratory distress, was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, and was found to have a life-threatening blood infection—diagnosed as late-onset group B Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) bacteremia. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bacteremia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Bacteremia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacteremia. Accessed 22 Jan. 2022.

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More Definitions for bacteremia

bacteremia

noun

bac·ter·emia

variants: or chiefly British bacteraemia \ ˌbak-tə-ˈrē-mē-ə

Medical Definition of bacteremia

: the presence of bacteria in the blood

Note: Bacteremia is often transient and asymptomatic but may be associated with invasion of the bloodstream from a usually localized source of infection (as a skin wound, indwelling catheter, or urinary tract infection) and lead to sepsis.

— compare septicemia, viremia