seroprevalence
noun
se·ro·prev·a·lence
ˌsir-ō-ˈpre-və-lən(t)s 
-ˈprev-lən(t)s
: the frequency of individuals in a population who have a particular element and especially antibodies to an infectious agent in their blood serum
Cases of the illness increased 9-fold in the US between 2000 and 2008, and the national seroprevalence is estimated to be 3.1%.—
The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical AssociationExamples of seroprevalence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Though often undiagnosed, JCV causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to severe neurological illness, with seroprevalence data suggesting vast undercounting of cases.
—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
The pandemic-era scans came from months when relevant CDC seroprevalence data estimate that the number of children with one or more infections rose from about one in five to around three in five.
—
Blake Murdoch,
Scientific American,
18 Oct. 2024
The type of research that Michigan health officials have now undertaken, known as a seroprevalence or serology study, can start to define whether there have been undetected cases, and if there have, what activities may put workers at highest risk.
—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
25 June 2024
Earlier in the pandemic, some experts and pundits drew on seroprevalence studies to suggest that Covid-19 may be less dangerous than feared, and that the virus could be left to spread widely until much of the population achieved immunity.
—
Nathaniel Scharping,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for seroprevalence
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John Drake,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2026
The pandemic-era scans came from months when relevant CDC seroprevalence data estimate that the number of children with one or more infections rose from about one in five to around three in five.
—
Blake Murdoch,
Scientific American,
18 Oct. 2024
The type of research that Michigan health officials have now undertaken, known as a seroprevalence or serology study, can start to define whether there have been undetected cases, and if there have, what activities may put workers at highest risk.
—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
25 June 2024
Earlier in the pandemic, some experts and pundits drew on seroprevalence studies to suggest that Covid-19 may be less dangerous than feared, and that the virus could be left to spread widely until much of the population achieved immunity.
—
Nathaniel Scharping,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for seroprevalence
Cite this Entry
“Seroprevalence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seroprevalence. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
seroprevalence
noun
se·ro·prev·a·lence
-ˈprev(-ə)-lən(t)s
: the frequency of individuals in a population who have a particular element and especially antibodies to an infectious agent in their blood serum
In areas endemic for Lyme borreliosis, unrelated positive results may also represent seroprevalence, which stems mostly from earlier asymptomatic infection …—Robert R. Müllegger and Martin Glatz, American Journal of Dermatology
Robert R. Müllegger and Martin Glatz, American Journal of DermatologyLove words? Need even more definitions?
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