nonimmune
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. Susceptible, not protected: Describes a person or organism that lacks immunity or resistance to a specific disease, condition, or influence, and is therefore likely to be affected by it.
Usage
The adjective "nonimmune" is primarily used in medical, biological, and epidemiological contexts. It describes a state of vulnerability. It is often followed by the preposition "to" to specify the threat. * The primary function is to indicate a lack of specific protective antibodies or cellular defenses. * It can also be used more broadly to describe a lack of general resistance or protection.
Examples
- Medical Context:
- Travelers who are nonimmune to yellow fever must get vaccinated before visiting certain regions.
- The outbreak spread rapidly through the nonimmune population.
- Patients receiving chemotherapy are often nonimmune to common infections.
Advanced Usage
- "nonimmune response": In medicine, this can refer to a bodily reaction that is not mediated by the adaptive immune system (e.g., an inflammatory response to a toxin).
- Figurative Use: While less common, it can be used metaphorically to describe vulnerability to non-medical influences.
- The young company was nonimmune to the fluctuations of the stock market.
Variants and Related Words
- Nonimmunity (noun): The state of being nonimmune.
- The study focused on the period of nonimmunity following the treatment.
- Immunocompromised (adjective): Having a weakened immune system, which is a related but more severe state than simply being nonimmune to a specific pathogen.
Synonyms
- Susceptible
- Vulnerable
- Liable (to)
- Unprotected
- Unvaccinated (in specific contexts)
Antonyms
- Immune
- Resistant
- Protected
- Insusceptible
Related Phrases
- Nonimmune individual: A standard phrase in epidemiology to refer to a person at risk.
- Nonimmune host: A biological term for an organism that can be infected by a pathogen.
Adjective
- (often followed by `to') likely to be affected with
- liable to diabetes