Definition of Xeno- (prefix)

Xeno- (prefix): Foreign or other. As in:

• Xenoantigen -- An antigen that is found in more than one species.
• Xenograft -- A surgical graft of tissue from one species an unlike species, genus or family.
• Xenotransplantation -- Transplantation from one species to a foreign one, e.g., the heart transplant from a baboon to Baby Fae in 1984 in Loma Linda, California.
• Xenotropic virus -- A virus that can grow in the cells of a species foreign to the normal host species.

The origin of "xeno-" is from the Late Latin, from Greek, from "xenos" meaning stranger, guest, or host. Xeno- and xen- are variant forms of the same prefix.

Source: MedTerms™ Medical Dictionary
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10737
Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2012