in‧fec‧tion W3 / ɪnfekʃ ə n / 名词
1 [可数名词] a disease that affects a particular part of your body and is caused by bacteria or a virus :
The baby had an ear infection.
infection of/in
an infection of the bladder
2 [不可数名词] when someone is infected by a disease :
Always sterilize the needle to prevent infection.
COLLOCATIONS
动词
have an infection I think you’ve got an infection, so you need to rest.
suffer from an infection He was suffering from an infection of the lungs.
get/develop an infection She got a nasty throat infection which meant she couldn’t sing.
treat an infection Antibiotics are used to treat the infection.
fight/combat an infection A new drug is being developed to combat the infection.
spread an infection ( also transmit an infection formal ) Pregnant women can transmit the infection to their unborn child.
an infection spreads The infection spread to her chest.
an infection clears up (= goes away ) Although the infection cleared up, he still felt weak.
be exposed to an infection He was exposed to the infection while he was travelling in India.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + infection
serious/severe He was admitted to hospital with a serious infection.
slight/minor (= not serious ) She’s suffering from a slight infection.
nasty informal (= a serious infection ) He’s got a really nasty infection.
acute medical (= a serious infection that develops suddenly ) The disease usually occurs as an acute infection of the throat.
an ear/eye infection She was given antibiotics for an ear infection.
a chest infection (= an infection in the lungs ) I’ve got a bad cough, but the doctor says it isn’t a chest infection.
a throat/kidney etc infection He developed a severe throat infection.
a bacterial/viral/fungal infection (= caused by bacteria, a virus, or a fungus ) Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections.
a secondary infection medical (= an additional infection that happens as a result of the main illness ) Often, scratching the skin because it is itchy results in secondary infection.
短语
the source of an infection Doctors are trying to locate the source of the infection.
THESAURUS
illness something wrong with your health which makes you feel ill : Her husband was in hospital for six months with a serious illness.
disease a particular illness, especially one that spreads to other people easily or that affects one part of your body : childhood diseases such as measles and chickenpox | heart disease
infection an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus : His cough got worse and worse and became a chest infection.
condition a health problem that affects you permanently or for a long time : a medical condition such as asthma | a heart condition
problem [名词后通常用] something that is wrong with a particular part of your body or your health in general : a serious back problem | health problems
trouble [单数形式，仅用于名词后] illness or pain that affects a particular part of your body : I’ve had a bit of stomach trouble.
disorder formal an illness that prevents a particular organ of your body from working properly, or affects the way you behave : a liver disorder | a blood disorder | Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder.