asymptomatic carrier
Unwitting disease transmitter
An asymptomatic carrier is a person infected with a disease who shows no symptoms but can still transmit it to others.
The term gained wide currency during the COVID-19 pandemic, when asymptomatic transmission complicated containment efforts: She tested positive but was an asymptomatic carrier.
The concept applies to various infectious diseases, from typhoid to HIV.
- silentProducing no sound
- spreaderTool for distribution
- contagiousTransmissible between people
- typhoidSalmonella-caused systemic infection
- infectionPathogen invasion causing illness
transmission · viral load · symptomless · dormant · latent · shedding · outbreak · patient zero · incubation · incubation period · virus · bacteria · disease vector · immune · herd immunity · undetected · quarantine · exposure
asymptomatic, carrier, asymptomatically, symptomatic, symptom, symptoms, symptomatically, carry, carries