Autoinfect

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transmit an infectious agent from one part of the body to another within the same individual without external exposure; to cause infection by self-contamination; to perpetuate a disease internally by reinfecting oneself
2. The process by which an organism spreads an infection internally from one site to another in the same host; self-transmission of a pathogen; reinfection occurring without contact with new external sources
3. Describing the action of a pathogen that reinvades the host’s body through internal routes; infection resulting from self-contact with infectious material; continued infection maintained by self-spread within an individual

Etymology: Autoinfect is simply "auto-" attached to "infect," and the combination describes a process in which a person or organism reinfects itself with a pathogen it already carries, often from a reservoir inside its own body rather than from an outside source. The prefix "auto-" comes from the Greek "autos," meaning "self," so the verb literally means to infect oneself. It is a transparent formation, and its meaning follows directly from its two parts. The prefix is the more productive element. English has used "auto-" with a wide range of bases, from "automobile" to "autosuggestion," and the pattern lets speakers coin a self-directed version of almost any action verb. "Autoinfect" follows the same logic, applying the reflexive sense to the spread of disease.

Synonyms: self-infect, self-contaminate