infection

(in-fek's hun). Invasion by living pathogenic microorganisms of a part of the body where the conditions are favorable to their growth and whence their toxins may gain acce to, and act injuriously upon, the ti ues. See conagion. endog'enous caused by normally non-pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract which have a umed a pathogenic character, fo'cal i.; a localized infection in the tonsils, tooth-sockets, or elsewhere, from which the microorganisms or their toxins are from time to time carried to other regions to produce other local or general systemic infections, mixed by more th one variety of pathogenic microorganisms. sec'ondary i., an i., usually septic, occurring in a person or animal already suffering from an i. of another nature, ter'minal i., an acute infection, commonly pneumonic or septic, occurring toward the end of any disease (usually a chronic disease), and often the cause of death.