inoculation

in·oc·u·la·tion   (ĭ-nŏk'yə-lā'shən)    n.   The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease. Informal A preemptive advertising tactic in which one party attempts to foresee and neutralize potentially damaging criticism from another party by being the first to confront troublesome issues.

inoculation [(i-nok-yuh-lay-shuhn)]

The introduction of an antigen into the body, usually by injection, in order to stimulate the production of antibodies to produce immunity to an infectious disease. (See immunization.)

Main Entry: in·oc·u·la·tion
Pronunciation: in-"äk-y&-'lA-sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the act or process or aninstance of inoculating: as a : the introduction of a microorganism into a medium suitable for its growth b (1) : the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into aliving organism to stimulate the production of antibodies (2) : the introduction of a vaccine or serum into a living organism to confer immunity inoculations>
2 : INOCULUM

inoculation in·oc·u·la·tion (ĭ-nŏk'yə-lā'shən)
n.
The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease.

inoculation

process of producing immunity and method of vaccination that consists of introduction of the infectious agent onto an abraded or absorptive skin surface instead of inserting the substance in the tissues by means of a hollow needle, as in injection. Of the common vaccines, only smallpox vaccine is routinely inoculated. The term inoculation is also commonly used more broadly to mean any introduction of antigenic substances into the tissues. See also immunization; vaccine.

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