bacteremia

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 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, "Viruses Can Help Us as Well as Harm Us," 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, "New Jersey hospital faced superbug outbreak amid Covid surge," 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, "4 Vaccines You Should Consider if You (or a Loved One) Are Over 65," 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, "CDC warns against eating placenta—in case you needed another reason," 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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Last Updated

17 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Bacteremia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacteremia. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

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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