infection cycle
Disease transmission pattern
An infection cycle is the sequence of stages a pathogen goes through from initial infection of a host to transmission to the next host.
The cycle typically includes entry, replication, spread within the host, and release—completing when the pathogen infects a new individual: Understanding the infection cycle helps researchers identify intervention points.
Breaking any stage can halt disease transmission.
- tropismStimulus-directed movement
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- patient zeroFirst documented infection
- virulenceCapacity to cause disease
latency · incubation period · burst · susceptibility · shedding · transmission · capsid · disease spread · host cell · invasion · inflammation · genome · bacterial · viral · multiplication · viral load · carrier · lytic
infection cycleimmunity
Protected from harm
sterility · disease eradication · cure · recovery · clearance
infection cycleacute infection
Fast-developing microbial disease