postinfectious

adjective

post·​in·​fec·​tious ˌpōst-in-ˈfek-shəs 

: occurring after and especially as a result of an infection

postinfectious encephalitis

a postinfectious cough

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

There are precedents for this kind of postinfectious, noncritical illness, such as posttreatment Lyme disease. —Jennifer Couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, 13 Apr. 2021

In other words, long Covid may simply be the latest example of a postinfectious phenomenon that has mystified physicians for more than a century. —New York Times, 21 Jan. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

postinfectious

adjective

post·​in·​fec·​tious -in-ˈfek-shəs 

variants or post-infectious

: relating to or occurring in the period following infection : caused by a previous infection

postinfectious syndromes

Estimates of the annual incidence of idiopathic or postinfectious transverse myelitis range from 1.3 to 8 cases per million.

—Elliot M. Frohman et al.