Tdap

Medical abbreviation · Infectious Disease

Tdap
Stands forTetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine
CategoriesMedical

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.

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.