Opportunistic infection overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
An opportunistic infection is an infection caused by pathogens, particularly opportunistic pathogens - those that take advantage of certain situations - such as bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoan infections that usually do not cause disease in a healthy host, one with a healthy immune system. A compromised immune system, however, presents an "opportunity" for the pathogen to infect.