seropositive

[ seer-oh-poz-i-tiv ]

adjective

, Medicine/Medical.

1. showing a significant level of serum antibodies, or other immunologic marker in the serum, indicating previous exposure to the infectious agent being tested.

seropositive

/ ˌsɪərəʊˈpɔzɪtɪv /

adjective

1. (of a person whose blood has been tested for a specific disease, such as AIDS) showing a serological reaction indicating the presence of the disease

Word History and Origins

Origin of seropositive¹

First recorded in 1930–35; sero- + positive

Example Sentences

A whopping 67% of study subjects were "seropositive" showing markers in their blood of a latent infection.

From Science Daily

In reality, out of nearly 70,000 people tested, more than 10,000 were seropositive, meaning enough brucellosis-causing bacteria had entered their lungs to trigger their immune systems into producing antibodies, Pappas said, citing figures compiled by the provincial health authorities in Lanzhou’s Gansu province.

From Washington Post

Because the research team was only able to document cases in which people were symptomatic and were seropositive for the virus, Ranney agreed that results may be an underestimate.

From Washington Post

There are far fewer reports of people testing positive more than four months past recovery, although that may be because people who have recovered from COVID-19 are less likely to seek testing months after their symptoms resolve or they test negative, or if they have had an antibody test and are seropositive.

From Slate

A New York City study on the other hand showed 21% seropositive, so even if there has a 3% error rate, the majority of those positives have to be true positives.

From The Guardian