Inficerede

Inficerede is a Danish term used as both the past participle of the verb inficere and an adjective describing the state of having an infection. It refers to people, tissues, wounds or animals that harbor a pathogen and typically show signs of infection. In clinical contexts, inficerede objects or patients are contrasted with those that are merely colonized or unaffected by pathogens.

Etymology and usage indicate that inficerede derives from the verb inficere, itself from Latin infectus or related forms meaning to contaminate or to cause disease. In Danish medical language, the form adapts to gender and number, with examples such as en inficeret patient (a singular, masculine or common-gender noun), et inficeret sår (a singular neuter), inficerede patienter (plural) and inficerede sår (plural).

In practice, inficerede is used to describe an infection that is active or clinically evident, often accompanied by local or systemic responses. It is commonly contrasted with coloniserede (colonized) to indicate that pathogen presence does not always correspond to disease. The term appears in diagnoses, patient records and treatment guidelines to guide decisions on antimicrobial therapy, wound care and isolation precautions.

The word is widely used across human and veterinary medicine, microbiology and epidemiology. While it denotes infection, it should not substitute for specific diagnostic terms that identify the pathogen, site, or severity of disease.

See also: infection, infectious disease, colonization, wound infection.