- passage
- 1. The act of passing. 2. A discharge, as from the bowels or of urine. 3. Inoculation of a series of animals with the same strain of a pathogenic microorganism whereby the virulence usually is increased, but is sometimes diminished. 4. A channel, duct, pore, or opening. [Mediev. L. passo, to pass]- blind p. successive transfer of an agent through cultures or animals without apparent replication or disease.- nasopharyngeal p. SYN: nasopharyngeal meatus.- oropharyngeal p. SYN: fauces.- serial p. successive transfer of an infectious agent through a series of cultures or experimental animals, usually to attenuate pathogenicity.
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pas·sage 'pas-ij n1) the action or process of passing from one place, condition, or stage to another <the \passage of air from the lungs (Encyc. Americana)>2) an anatomical channel <the nasal \passages>3) a movement or an evacuation of the bowels4 a) an act or action of passing something or undergoing a passing <\passage of a catheter through the urethra>b) incubation of a pathogen (as a virus) in a tissue culture, a developing egg, or a living organism to increase the amount of pathogen or to alter its characteristics <several \passages of the virus through mice>passage vt, pas·saged; pas·sag·ing to subject to passage <the virus has been passaged in series seven times (Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc.)>* * *
pas·sage (pasґəj) a 1. channel. 2. the act of moving from one place to another. discharge (def. 3). 3. introduction of infectious material into an experimental animal or culture medium, followed by recovery of the infectious agent. 4. the introduction of a catheter, probe, sound, or bougie through a natural channel such as the urethra.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
