Carrier state

Carrier state

The continued presence of an organism (bacteria, virus, or parasite) in the body that does not cause symptoms, but is able to be transmitted and infect other persons.

Mentioned in: Shigellosis

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carrier

1. an animal which harbors a disease organism in its body without manifest signs, thus acting as a carrier or distributor of infection. A carrier may be one with a latent infection and which appears healthy. Other types of carriers are the incubatory carrier, when the animal is not yet showing clinical signs, or a convalescent carrier when it has passed the clinical stage.

2. a heterozygote, i.e. an animal which carries a recessive gene, autosomal or sex-linked, together with its normal allele.

3. an edible material used in the formulation of processed feeds. The carrier is used to absorb or attach other ingredients by impregnation or coating so that they are evenly mixed throughout the feed.

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carrier detection

in genetic terms the detection of a heterozygote which carries the gene which is under investigation.

carrier effect

use of a hapten conjugated to a carrier protein in a primary immune response will result in a secondary immune response to the same combination, but not to the hapten alone or in association with a different carrier protein.

carrier register

in genetic terms is a list of all the animals which have produced an affected offspring.

carrier state

the state of being a carrier of an infectious disease or of a genetic defect.

carrier test herd

a herd consisting entirely of known carriers of a gene which is under investigation; a definition which could be extended to include a herd comprising only individuals known to carry a specific infectious agent.