Attenuated
Attenuated: Weakened, diluted, thinned, reduced, weakened, diminished.
The use of “attenuated” in medicine is not new. In the 16th century, eating dried figs was claimed to attenuate the body fluids.
Now “attenuated” refers to procedures that weaken an agent of disease (a pathogen). An attenuated virus is a weakened, less vigorous virus. A vaccine against a viral disease can be made from an attenuated, less virulent strain of the virus, a virus capable of stimulating an immune response and creating immunity but not causing illness.
The word “attenuated” derives from a combination of the Latin prefix “ad-” meaning “to” or “toward” and “tenuis” meaning “thin.”
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- Attenuated virus
Attenuated virus: A weakened, less vigorous virus. An attenuated virus may be used to make a vaccine that is capable of stimulating an immune response and creating immunity, but not of causing illness.
- Atypical measles syndrome (AMS)
Atypical measles syndrome (AMS): An altered expression of measles, AMS begins suddenly with high fever, headache, cough, and abdominal pain. The rash may appear 1 to 2 days later, often beginning on the limbs. Swelling (edema) of the hands and feet may occur. Pneumonia is common and may persist for 3 months or more. AMS […]
- Ataxia
Poor coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain’s failure to regulate the body’s posture and regulate the strength and direction of limb movements. Ataxia is usually due to disease in the cerebellum of the brain, which lies beneath the back part of the cerebrum.
- AT (in DNA)
AT (in DNA): AT stands for adenine and thymine, a base pair in DNA. The other base pair in DNA is GC (guanine and cytosine).