Subclinical infection
A subclinical infection — sometimes called a preinfection or inapparent infection — is an infection that, being subclinical, is nearly or completely asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms).[1] A subclinically infected person is thus a paucisymptomatic or asymptomatic carrier of a microbe, intestinal parasite, or virus that usually is a pathogen causing illness, at least in some individuals. Many pathogens spread by being silently carried in this way by some of their host population. Such infections occur both in humans and animals.
An example of an asymptomatic infection is a mild common cold that is not noticed by the infected individual. Since subclinical infections often occur without eventual overt sign, their existence is only identified by microbiological culture or DNA techniques such as polymerase chain reaction.
Infection transmission/signs
An individual may only develop signs of an infection after a period of subclinical infection, a duration that is called the incubation period. This is the case, for example, for subclinical sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and genital warts. It is thought that individuals with such subclinical infections, and those that never develop overt illness, creates a reserve of individuals that can transmit an infectious agent to infect other individuals. Because such cases of infections do not come to clinical attention, health statistics can often fail to measure the true prevalence of an infection in a population, and this prevents the accurate modeling of its infectious transmission.
Types of subclinical infections
The following pathogens (together with their symptomatic illnesses) are known to be carried asymptomatically, often in a large percentage of the potential host population:
- Baylisascaris procyonis[2]
- Bordetella pertussis (Pertussis or whooping cough)[3]
- Chlamydia pneumoniae[4]
- Chlamydia trachomatis (Chlamydia)[5][6][7]
- Clostridium difficile[8]
- Cyclospora cayetanensis[9]
- Dengue virus[10]
- Dientamoeba fragilis[11]
- Entamoeba histolytica[12]
- enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli[13]
- Epstein-Barr virus[14]
- Group A streptococcal infection[15]
- Helicobacter pylori[16]
- Herpes simplex (oral herpes, genital herpes, etc.)[17]
- HIV-1 (AIDS)[18]
- Influenza (strains)
- Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires' disease)[19]
- measles viruses[20]
- Mycobacterium leprae (leprosy)[21]
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis)[22]
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhoea)[5][6]
- Neisseria meningitidis (Meningitis)[23]
- nontyphoidal Salmonella[24]
- noroviruses[25]
- Poliovirus (Poliomyelitis)
- Plasmodium (Malaria)
- Rabies lyssavirus (Rabies)
- rhinoviruses (Common cold)[26]
- Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (Typhoid fever)[27]
- SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)[28] and other coronaviruses[29]
- Staphylococcus aureus[30]
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (Bacterial pneumonia)[31]
- Treponema pallidum (syphilis)[32]
Host tolerance
Fever and sickness behavior and other signs of infection are often taken to be due to them. However, they are evolved physiological and behavioral responses of the host to clear itself of the infection. Instead of incurring the costs of deploying these evolved responses to infections, the body opts to tolerate an infection[33] as an alternative to seeking to control or remove the infecting pathogen.[34]
Subclinical infections are important since they allow infections to spread from a reserve of carriers. They also can cause clinical problems unrelated to the direct issue of infection. For example, in the case of urinary tract infections in women, this infection may cause preterm delivery if the person becomes pregnant without proper treatment.[35]
See also
References
- ↑ Porta, Miquel (2014). Oxford dictionary of epidemiology (6th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199976720.
- ↑ Weinstein, Sara B.; Lake, Camille M.; Chastain, Holly M.; Fisk, David; Handali, Sukwan; Kahn, Philip L.; Montgomery, Susan P.; Wilkins, Patricia P.; Kuris, Armand M.; Lafferty, Kevin D. (2017). "Seroprevalence of Baylisascaris procyonis Infection among Humans, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, 2014–2016". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 23 (8): 1397–1399. doi:10.3201/eid2308.170222. ISSN 1080-6040. PMC 5547801. PMID 28726612.
- ↑ Klement E, Grotto I, Srugo I, Orr N, Gilad J, Cohent D (March 2005). "Pertussis in soldiers, Israel". Emerging Infect. Dis. 11 (3): 506–8. doi:10.3201/eid1103.040672. PMC 3298243. PMID 15789494.
- ↑ Müller J, Møller DS, Kjaer M, Nyvad O, Larsen NA, Pedersen EB (2003). "Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy control subjects and patients with diabetes mellitus, acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and arterial hypertension". Scand. J. Infect. Dis. 35 (10): 704–12. doi:10.1080/00365540310016538. PMID 14606608. S2CID 43211363.
- 1 2 Cecil JA, Howell MR, Tawes JJ, et al. (November 2001). "Features of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection in male Army recruits". J. Infect. Dis. 184 (9): 1216–9. doi:10.1086/323662. PMID 11598849.
- 1 2 Korenromp EL, Sudaryo MK, de Vlas SJ, et al. (February 2002). "What proportion of episodes of gonorrhoea and chlamydia becomes symptomatic?". Int J STD AIDS. 13 (2): 91–101. doi:10.1258/0956462021924712. PMID 11839163. S2CID 33926189.
- ↑ Sutton TL, Martinko T, Hale S, Fairchok MP (December 2003). "Prevalence and high rate of asymptomatic infection of Chlamydia trachomatis in male college Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets". Sex Transm Dis. 30 (12): 901–4. doi:10.1097/01.OLQ.0000091136.14932.8B. PMID 14646638. S2CID 43394485.
- ↑ Rivera EV, Woods S (2003). "Prevalence of asymptomatic Clostridium difficile colonization in a nursing home population: a cross-sectional study". J Gend Specif Med. 6 (2): 27–30. PMID 12813999.
- ↑ Chacin-Bonilla L, Mejia de Young M, Estevez J (March 2003). "Prevalence and pathogenic role of Cyclospora cayetanensis in a Venezuelan community". Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 68 (3): 304–6. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2003.68.304. PMID 12685635.
- ↑ Burke DS, Nisalak A, Johnson DE, Scott RM (January 1988). "A prospective study of dengue infections in Bangkok". Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 38 (1): 172–80. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1988.38.172. PMID 3341519.
- ↑ Peek R, Reedeker FR, van Gool T (February 2004). "Direct Amplification and Genotyping of Dientamoeba fragilis from Human Stool Specimens". J. Clin. Microbiol. 42 (2): 631–5. doi:10.1128/JCM.42.2.631-635.2004. PMC 344490. PMID 14766828.
- ↑ Blessmann J, Ali IK, Nu PA, et al. (October 2003). "Longitudinal Study of Intestinal Entamoeba histolytica Infections in Asymptomatic Adult Carriers". J. Clin. Microbiol. 41 (10): 4745–50. doi:10.1128/JCM.41.10.4745-4750.2003. PMC 294961. PMID 14532214.
- ↑ Wennerås C, Erling V (December 2004). "Prevalence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-associated diarrhoea and carrier state in the developing world". J Health Popul Nutr. 22 (4): 370–82. PMID 15663170.
- ↑ Pegtel DM, Middeldorp J, Thorley-Lawson DA (November 2004). "Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Ex Vivo Tonsil Epithelial Cell Cultures of Asymptomatic Carriers". J. Virol. 78 (22): 12613–24. doi:10.1128/JVI.78.22.12613-12624.2004. PMC 525079. PMID 15507648.
- ↑ Ozturk CE, Yavuz T, Kaya D, Yucel M (December 2004). "The rate of asymptomatic throat carriage of group A Streptococcus in school children and associated ASO titers in Duzce, Turkey". Jpn. J. Infect. Dis. 57 (6): 271–2. PMID 15623954. Archived from the original on 2005-01-21.
- ↑ Kul S, Sert B, Sari A, et al. (September 2008). "Effect of subclinical Helicobacter pylori infection on gastric wall thickness: multislice CT evaluation". Diagn Interv Radiol. 14 (3): 138–42. PMID 18814135.
- ↑ Wald A, Zeh J, Selke S, Ashley RL, Corey L (September 1995). "Virologic characteristics of subclinical and symptomatic genital herpes infections". N. Engl. J. Med. 333 (12): 770–5. doi:10.1056/NEJM199509213331205. PMID 7643884.
- ↑ Mummidi S, Ahuja SS, Gonzalez E, et al. (July 1998). "Genealogy of the CCR5 locus and chemokine system gene variants associated with altered rates of HIV-1 disease progression". Nat. Med. 4 (7): 786–93. doi:10.1038/nm0798-786. PMID 9662369. S2CID 30305043.
- ↑ Flournoy DJ, Guthrie PJ, Lawrence CH, Silberg SL, Beaver S (January 1990). "Incidence of Legionella pneumophila infections among Oklahoma pulmonary disease patients". J Natl Med Assoc. 82 (1): 25–9. PMC 2625929. PMID 2304095.
- ↑ Anlar B, Ayhan A, Hotta H, et al. (August 2002). "Measles virus RNA in tonsils of asymptomatic children". J Paediatr Child Health. 38 (4): 424–5. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1754.2002.t01-1-00029.x. PMID 12174013. S2CID 40754266.
- ↑ Beyene D, Aseffa A, Harboe M, et al. (October 2003). "Nasal carriage of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in healthy individuals in Lega Robi village, Ethiopia". Epidemiol. Infect. 131 (2): 841–8. doi:10.1017/S0950268803001079. PMC 2870027. PMID 14596524.
- ↑ Dye C, Scheele S, Dolin P, Pathania V, Raviglione MC (August 1999). "Consensus statement. Global burden of tuberculosis: estimated incidence, prevalence, and mortality by country. WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring Project". JAMA. 282 (7): 677–86. doi:10.1001/jama.282.7.677. PMID 10517722.
- ↑ Yazdankhah SP, Caugant DA (September 2004). "Neisseria meningitidis: an overview of the carriage state". J. Med. Microbiol. 53 (Pt 9): 821–32. doi:10.1099/jmm.0.45529-0. PMID 15314188. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10.
- ↑ Sirinavin S, Pokawattana L, Bangtrakulnondh A (June 2004). "Duration of nontyphoidal Salmonella carriage in asymptomatic adults". Clin. Infect. Dis. 38 (11): 1644–5. doi:10.1086/421027. PMID 15156460.
- ↑ Gallimore CI, Cubitt D, du Plessis N, Gray JJ (May 2004). "Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Excretion of Noroviruses during a Hospital Outbreak of Gastroenteritis". J. Clin. Microbiol. 42 (5): 2271–4. doi:10.1128/JCM.42.5.2271-2274.2004. PMC 404621. PMID 15131210.
- ↑ van Benten I, Koopman L, Niesters B, et al. (October 2003). "Predominance of rhinovirus in the nose of symptomatic and asymptomatic infants". Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 14 (5): 363–70. doi:10.1034/j.1399-3038.2003.00064.x. PMC 7168036. PMID 14641606.
- ↑ Parry CM, Hien TT, Dougan G, White NJ, Farrar JJ (November 2002). "Typhoid fever". N. Engl. J. Med. 347 (22): 1770–82. doi:10.1056/NEJMra020201. PMID 12456854. S2CID 5059045.
- ↑ Camilla Rothe; Mirjam Schunk; Peter Sothmann; et al. (30 January 2020). "Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany". The New England Journal of Medicine. 382 (10): 970–971. doi:10.1056/NEJMC2001468. ISSN 0028-4793. PMC 7120970. PMID 32003551. S2CID 210982826. Wikidata Q84106604.
- ↑ Fung, Sin-Yee; Yuen, Kit-San; Ye, Zi-Wei; Chan, Chi-Ping; Jin, Dong-Yan (2020). "A tug-of-war between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and host antiviral defence: Lessons from other pathogenic viruses". Emerging Microbes & Infections. 9 (1): 558–570. doi:10.1080/22221751.2020.1736644. PMC 7103735. PMID 32172672.
- ↑ Kenner J, O'Connor T, Piantanida N, et al. (June 2003). "Rates of carriage of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in an outpatient population". Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 24 (6): 439–44. doi:10.1086/502229. PMID 12828322. S2CID 27801815.
- ↑ Malfroot A, Verhaegen J, Dubru JM, Van Kerschaver E, Leyman S (September 2004). "A cross-sectional survey of the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal carriage in Belgian infants attending day care centres". Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 10 (9): 797–803. doi:10.1111/j.1198-743X.2004.00926.x. PMID 15355410.
- ↑ Singh AE, Romanowski B (April 1999). "Syphilis: Review with Emphasis on Clinical, Epidemiologic, and Some Biologic Features". Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 12 (2): 187–209. doi:10.1128/CMR.12.2.187. PMC 88914. PMID 10194456.
- ↑ Miller MR, White A, Boots M (September 2005). "The evolution of host resistance: tolerance and control as distinct strategies". J. Theor. Biol. 236 (2): 198–207. Bibcode:2005JThBi.236..198M. doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2005.03.005. PMID 16005309.
- ↑ Boots M, Bowers RG (April 2004). "The evolution of resistance through costly acquired immunity". Proc. Biol. Sci. 271 (1540): 715–23. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2655. PMC 1691655. PMID 15209105.
- ↑ Romero R, Espinoza J, Chaiworapongsa T, Kalache K (August 2002). "Infection and prematurity and the role of preventive strategies". Semin Neonatol. 7 (4): 259–74. doi:10.1053/siny.2002.0121. PMID 12401296.
Further reading
- Endara, Pablo; Trueba, Gabriel; Solberg, Owen D.; Bates, Sarah J.; Ponce, Karina; Cevallos, William; Matthijnssens, Jelle; Eisenberg, Joseph N.S. (2007-04-01). "Symptomatic and Subclinical Infection with Rotavirus P[8]G9, Rural Ecuador". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 13 (4): 574–580. doi:10.3201/eid1304.061285. ISSN 1080-6040. PMC 2391297. PMID 17553272.