communicable period (of a disease)

com·mu·ni·ca·ble pe·ri·od (of a dis·ease)

(kŏ-myūni-kă-bĕl pērē-ŏd di-zēz)

Temporal interval during which an infectious agent may be transferred directly or indirectly from an infected person to a susceptible host; may include, or may overlap, the incubation period of a disease.