disease enhancement

noun

A side-effect of a therapeutic treatment, whereby the putative therapeutic agent, instead of alleviating the disease, enhances the pathology. Such as an antibody introduced or incited by the treatment binds to the disease agent, causing it to function better; such as antibodies binding to virus spike proteins and increasing its ability to infect cells.

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Meanings

noundisease enhancement (usually uncountable, plural disease enhancements)

plural disease enhancements

  1. uncountableusuallymedicineA side-effect of a therapeutic treatment, whereby the putative therapeutic agent, instead of alleviating the disease, enhances the pathology. Such as an antibody introduced or incited by the treatment binds to the disease agent, causing it to function better; such as antibodies binding to virus spike proteins and increasing its ability to infect cells.
Cite this entry
APA

disease enhancement. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disease%20enhancement

MLA

“disease enhancement.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disease%20enhancement. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disease enhancement,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disease%20enhancement.

Source: disease enhancement on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.