Group B Strep Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

Autism: A spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in social inter...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bladder infection: Infection of the urinary bladder. Some people are at more risk for blad...

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Capsule: Capsule has many meanings in medicine including the following:

1. In medici...

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

Cervix: The cervix is the lower, narrow part of the uterus (womb). The uterus, a hollow, ...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Endocarditis: an inflammation of one or more of the heart valves and lining tissues of the...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Gynecology: The branch of medicine that is particularly concerned with the health of the f...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart valves: There are four heart valves. All are one-way valves. Blood entering the ...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally h...

Labor: Childbirth, the process of delivering a baby and the placenta, membranes, and umbil...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Miscarriage: Inadvertent loss of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable. A considerable pr...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Nursing: 1) Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintena...

Obstetrics: The art and science of managing pregnancy, labor, and the puerperium (the time...

Operating room: A facility that is equipped for performing surgery. Abbreviated OR.

Osteomyelitis: Inflammation of the bone due to infection, for example, by the bacteria sal...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Penicillin: The most famous of all antibiotics, named for the fungal mold Penicillium n...

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Pus: A thick, whitish-yellow fluid that results from the accumulation of white blood cells...

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins creat...

Sexually transmitted disease: Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microo...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Spinal tap: Also known as a lumbar puncture or "LP", a spinal tap is a procedure whereby ...

Sputum: Mucous material from the lungs that is produced (brought up) by coughing.

Stillbirth: The birth of a dead baby, the delivery of a fetus that has died before birth f...

Strep: Very commonly used shortened form of Streptococcus, a very common and import...

Streptococcus: A group of bacteria that causes a multitude of diseases. Under a microscope...

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Urinary tract infection: An infection of the kidney, ureter, bladder, or urethra. Abbrevia...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Uterus: A hollow, pear-shaped organ that is located in a woman's lower abdomen, between th...

Vagina: The muscular canal that extends from the cervix to the outside of the body. It is ...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...