sialic acid
noun
: any of a group of reducing amido acids that are essentially carbohydrates and are found especially as components of blood glycoproteins and mucoproteins
Examples of sialic acid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Avian viruses latch onto duck and chicken sialic acids, whereas human influenza viruses latch onto certain mammalian sialic acids.
—
Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Birds – and human eyes – primarily have alpha 2,3 sialic acid receptors on their cells.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
That may be because human eyes share the same types of sialic acid receptors that are most common in birds.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
Animals such as birds and humans have different docking stations on their cells — known as sialic acid receptors.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Flu viruses enter cells by attaching to sugars that stick up from their surfaces called sialic acids.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Birds have an abundance of a kind of sialic acid called alpha 2,3, but humans primarily have alpha 2,6 sialic acids, particularly in the nose, throat and lungs.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Influenza viruses bind well to certain cell surface carbohydrates called sialic acids, which vary by species.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
The results are potentially important but also preliminary, Beer cautions, noting that distinguishing between some types of sialic acids can be difficult.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Birds – and human eyes – primarily have alpha 2,3 sialic acid receptors on their cells.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2025
That may be because human eyes share the same types of sialic acid receptors that are most common in birds.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
Animals such as birds and humans have different docking stations on their cells — known as sialic acid receptors.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
Flu viruses enter cells by attaching to sugars that stick up from their surfaces called sialic acids.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Birds have an abundance of a kind of sialic acid called alpha 2,3, but humans primarily have alpha 2,6 sialic acids, particularly in the nose, throat and lungs.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Influenza viruses bind well to certain cell surface carbohydrates called sialic acids, which vary by species.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
The results are potentially important but also preliminary, Beer cautions, noting that distinguishing between some types of sialic acids can be difficult.
—Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 7 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Sialic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sialic%20acid. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sialic acid
noun
si·al·ic acid
(ˌ)sī-ˌal-ik- 
: any of a group of reducing amido acids that are essentially carbohydrates and are found especially as components of blood glycoproteins and mucoproteins
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share