immune carrier
- noun
- /ɪˈmjun ˈkɛrɪər/
- Specialized
:
portador inmune
- Typhoid Mary became famous as an immune carrier who spread typhoid without being sick herself.
Examples
-
An immune carrier may feel healthy but can still infect others with the disease.
-
After the outbreak, scientists discovered that one dog was an immune carrier of the virus.
-
She is an immune carrier of the virus.
-
Some immune carriers do not even know they are infected.
-
An immune carrier can transmit a disease even though they do not show any symptoms.
-
Typhoid Mary is a well-known example of an immune carrier who unknowingly infected others.
-
Being an immune carrier means that a person can harbor a virus and still appear healthy.
Synonyms
43
5.8
A person or animal that has a disease without showing signs and can pass it to others
2
6.2
An animal or microbe that spreads disease to others
1
7.6
A person, animal, or thing that spreads disease to others
A person or animal that carries a disease and can spread it to others
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'immune' (protected against infection) + 'carrier' (one who carries/transmits a pathogen), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer someone who harbors a pathogen without symptoms due to immunity. Although somewhat technical, the composition follows regular semantic combination and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically, making it immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Immune carrier may come from the image of someone who is immune, meaning 'protected from getting sick', yet still a carrier who holds germs like a hidden load. So, the term means 'a person who can spread disease while feeling healthy'.