The first identified case in a group of related cases of a particular communicable or heritable disease.
〔医〕（传染病或遗传病的一组相关病历中的）首例被确认的病例
Example sentencesExamples
- All participating subjects gave written, informed consent and were interviewed about exposure to the index case and BCG vaccination status.
- The numbers are large because we were unable to identify the index case.
- Influenza A was confirmed in 510 index patients; 395 (77 percent) of these completed the household contact follow-up protocol.
- There were 72 index cases of tuberculosis, 46 of whom had positive sputum smears for acid-fast bacilli.
- Public health departments aren't likely to be the ones diagnosing and identifying an index case of smallpox.
- The fifth cluster of infection was the family of the index patient.
- Four of his family members developed the infection; the brother of the index patient had the earliest date of onset.
- Almost all positive index cases identified through the screening programme were confirmed to have been successfully treated.
- We found no studies comparing index patients given chemoprophylaxis with those who were not.
- Their infection may not be related to the index case, but may reflect the prevalence of the infection in the local community.