communicable disease

/kəˌmjunəkəbəl dəˌziz/

Other forms: communicable diseases

Definitions of communicable disease

1. noun

   a disease that can be communicated from one person to another
   types:

   contagion, contagious disease

   any disease easily transmitted by contact

   infectious disease

   a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact

   cold, common cold

   a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)

   flu, grippe, influenza

   an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease

   measles, morbilli, rubeola

   an acute and highly contagious viral disease marked by distinct red spots followed by a rash; occurs primarily in children

   diphtheria

   acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing

   scarlatina, scarlet fever

   an acute communicable disease (usually in children) characterized by fever and a red rash

   pox

   a contagious disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pock marks

   Vincent's angina, Vincent's infection, trench mouth

   an acute communicable infection of the respiratory tract and mouth marked by ulceration of the mucous membrane

   AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome

   a serious (often fatal) disease of the immune system transmitted through blood products especially by sexual contact or contaminated needles

   Gibraltar fever, Malta fever, Mediterranean fever, Rock fever, brucellosis, undulant fever

   infectious bacterial disease of human beings transmitted by contact with infected animals or infected meat or milk products; characterized by fever and headache

   Asiatic cholera, Indian cholera, cholera, epidemic cholera

   an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food

   breakbone fever, dandy fever, dengue, dengue fever

   an infectious disease of the tropics transmitted by mosquitoes and characterized by rash and aching head and joints

   dysentery

   an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea

   epidemic disease

   any infectious disease that develops and spreads rapidly to many people

   hepatitis

   inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or a toxin

   herpes

   viral diseases causing eruptions of the skin or mucous membrane

   Cupid's disease, Cupid's itch, STD, VD, Venus's curse, dose, sexually transmitted disease, social disease, venereal disease, venereal infection

   a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact

   glandular fever, infectious mononucleosis, kissing disease, mono, mononucleosis

   an acute disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes and an abnormal increase of mononuclear leucocytes or monocytes in the bloodstream; not highly contagious; some believe it can be transmitted by kissing

   Hansen's disease, leprosy

   chronic granulomatous communicable disease occurring in tropical and subtropical regions; characterized by inflamed nodules beneath the skin and wasting of body parts; caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae

   listeria meningitis, listeriosis

   an infectious disease of animals and humans (especially newborn or immunosuppressed persons) caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes; in sheep and cattle the infection frequently involves the central nervous system and causes various neurological symptoms

   meningitis

   infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the meninges (the tissues that surround the brain or spinal cord) usually caused by a bacterial infection; symptoms include headache and stiff neck and fever and nausea

   epidemic parotitis, mumps

   an acute contagious viral disease characterized by fever and by swelling of the parotid glands

   paratyphoid, paratyphoid fever

   any of a variety of infectious intestinal diseases resembling typhoid fever

   acute anterior poliomyelitis, infantile paralysis, polio, poliomyelitis

   an acute viral disease marked by inflammation of nerve cells of the brain stem and spinal cord

   ratbite fever

   either of two infectious diseases transmitted to humans by the bite of a rat or mouse; characterized by fever and headache and nausea and skin eruptions

   rickettsial disease, rickettsiosis

   infectious disease caused by ticks or mites or body lice infected with rickettsial bacteria

   recurrent fever, relapsing fever

   marked by recurring high fever and transmitted by the bite of infected lice or ticks; characterized by episodes of high fever and chills and headache and muscle pain and nausea that recur every week or ten days for several months

   rheumatic fever

   a severe disease chiefly of children and characterized by painful inflammation of the joints and frequently damage to the heart valves

   miliary fever, sweating sickness

   epidemic in the 15th and 16th centuries and characterized by profuse sweating and high mortality

   T.B., TB, tuberculosis

   infection transmitted by inhalation or ingestion of tubercle bacilli and manifested in fever and small lesions (usually in the lungs but in various other parts of the body in acute stages)

   enteric fever, typhoid, typhoid fever

   serious infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration; caused by Salmonella typhosa ingested with food or water

   pertussis, whooping cough

   a disease of the respiratory mucous membrane

   frambesia, framboesia, yaws

   an infectious tropical disease resembling syphilis in its early stages; marked by red skin eruptions and ulcerating lesions

   black vomit, yellow fever, yellow jack

   caused by a flavivirus transmitted by a mosquito

   head cold

   a common cold affecting the nasal passages and resulting in congestion and sneezing and headache

   type of:

   disease

   an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning