A secondary infection is an infection that occurs during or after treatment of another, already existing infection. It may result from the treatment itself or from alterations in the immune system.
For example, a yeast infection that occurs after antibiotic treatment of a bacterial infection is a secondary infection. The development of bacterial pneumonia following a viral upper respiratory infection is another example.
Review Date: 8/6/2007
Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, MD., MSc., DTM., Prof. Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Dept. of Human Biology, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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