seroprevalence

noun

se·​ro·​prev·​a·​lence ˌsir-ō-ˈpre-və-lən(t)s How to pronounce seroprevalence (audio)
-ˈprev-lən(t)s
: the frequency of individuals in a population who have a particular element and especially antibodies to an infectious agent in their blood serum
Cases of the illness increased 9-fold in the US between 2000 and 2008, and the national seroprevalence is estimated to be 3.1%.The Journal of the American Medical Association

Examples of seroprevalence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For kids under the age of 12, seroprevalence rose from 44.2% to 75.2%. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2022 Among the states with reported data, Hawaii is the only state under 80% seroprevalence in children. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2022 Caribou showed low levels, with 6.5% seroprevalence, and polar bears’ seroprevalence fell about at the study’s midpoint, at 13.3%, the study said. Yereth Rosen, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Nov. 2022 The study estimates the country reached an overall seroprevalence rate of 96.7% − counting infections and vaccinations − by the end of 2022. Isabelle Butera, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023 Increasing seroprevalence has also changed how vaccine effectiveness is measured. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 3 July 2023 According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most recent seroprevalence estimate for California — the overall share of residents thought to have been infected with the coronavirus at some point — was 55.5% in February. Luke Money, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2022 Trypanosoma cruzi in Los Angeles and Miami blood donors: impact of evolving donor demographics on seroprevalence and implications for transfusion transmission. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2011 More extensive surveillance based on wastewater testing, seroprevalence surveys, and other means that do not depend on the availability of test sites and individuals’ decisions to be tested are clearly needed to get a more accurate sense of what is happening. Michael A. Stoto, STAT, 14 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seroprevalence.' 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

sero- + prevalence

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seroprevalence was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near seroprevalence

Cite this Entry

“Seroprevalence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seroprevalence. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Medical Definition

seroprevalence

noun
se·​ro·​prev·​a·​lence -ˈprev(-ə)-lən(t)s How to pronounce seroprevalence (audio)
: the frequency of individuals in a population who have a particular element and especially antibodies to an infectious agent in their blood serum
In areas endemic for Lyme borreliosis, unrelated positive results may also represent seroprevalence, which stems mostly from earlier asymptomatic infection …Robert R. Müllegger and Martin Glatz, American Journal of Dermatology
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!