n.
An acute or chronic infection of the liver caused by an RNA virus, occurring either simultaneously with hepatitis B or as a superinfection in a hepatitis B carrier. It is usually more severe than other forms of hepatitis, is transmitted sexually or by exposure to infected blood or blood products, and is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas of the Mediterranean basin.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
