autoinfection

autoinfection definition - medical

au·to·in·fec·tion (ôˌtō-ĭn-fĕkˈshən)

noun
  1. Reinfection by microbes or parasitic organisms that are present on or within the body.
  2. Self-infection by direct contact with a contagious agent, as with parasite eggs in the infectious state transmitted by fingernails. Also called autoreinfection.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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