1. pertaining to a species.
2. produced by a single kind of microorganism.
3. restricted in application, effect, etc., to a particular structure, function, etc.
4. a remedy specially indicated for a particular disease.
5. in immunology, pertaining to the special affinity of antibody for the corresponding antigen.
- s. acquired immunity — see acquired immunity.
- s. activity enzymes — enzyme activity as Vmax, measured as μmoles of substrate utilized or product produced per minute, expressed on a specific unit of comparison such as per mg protein or g of tissue weight or ml or L of solution such as plasma.
- s. drug — one that acts at only one type of receptor but may produce several pharmacological effects depending on which organs carry the operant receptor.
- s. dynamic action — heat produced by the metabolism of food and unavoidably lost to the animal. In cold environments it will be contributed to the maintenance of body temperature but in a hot environment it must be dispersed by the normal heat-dissipating mechanisms. Called also heat increment.
- s. gravity (sp. gr.) — the weight of a substance compared with the weight of an equal amount of some other substance taken as a standard. For liquids the usual standard is water. The specific gravity of water is 1; if a sample of urine shows a specific gravity of 1.025, this means that the urine is 1.025 times heavier than water. Specific gravity is measured by means of a hydrometer.
- s. seasonals — clusters of cases occurring at specific seasons.
