Tdap
Medical abbreviation · Infectious Disease
| Stands for | Tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
Tdap stands for Tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine, an infectious disease abbreviation.
Booster vaccine for adolescents and adults that protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. It is given at age 11–12, once to adults who never received it, and during every pregnancy, ideally at 27–36 weeks, to pass antibodies to the newborn.
Example: Tdap given at 30 weeks gestation; patient counseled that newborn will receive DTaP at 2 months.
Usage notes
The lowercase "d" and "p" indicate reduced doses of diphtheria toxoid and pertussis antigens compared with the childhood DTaP vaccine; the capital letters do not mean the same thing, so the two must not be interchanged. Tdap was licensed in the US in 2005. It can substitute for Td for 10-year boosters and wound care.
Related abbreviations
More infectious disease abbreviations
- STD – Sexually transmitted disease
- STEC – Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli
- STI – Sexually transmitted infection
- SVR – Sustained virologic response
- TB – Tuberculosis
- Td – Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine
- TSS – Toxic shock syndrome
- U=U – Undetectable equals untransmittable
- VAERS – Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
- VL – Viral load
- VRE – Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
- VZV – Varicella-zoster virus
See all 92 infectious disease abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.