Window Period

Window Period

Infectious disease The period during which a pathogen can be detected in a patient specimen by nucleic acid testing, but not by serology, as the patient’s immune system has not yet responded to the pathogen by producing measurable levels of antibodies
Toxicology The period which corresponds to the interval between ingestion of lethal quantities of a drug or toxin, and development of irreversible organ damage

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window period,

n the period between when a party is exposed to an infectious organism and when that organism becomes detectable via a serum marker. See incubation period.

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window period

AIDS An interval between initial infection of HIV and development of anti-HIV-1 antibodies, usually 3–6 months Immunology An interval between the time of inoculation or exposure to a microorganism, usually viral, and the ability to detect its presence by serologic assays which detect the production of antibodies by the host, or the presence of the pathogen's antigens