A subclinical infection—sometimes called a preinfection or inapparent infection—is an
infection by a
pathogen that causes few or no
signs or symptoms of infection in the
host.[1] Subclinical infections can occur in both humans and animals.[2] Depending on the pathogen, which can be a
virus or
intestinal parasite, the host may be infectious and able to
transmit the pathogen without ever developing symptoms;[3][4] such a host is called an
asymptomatic carrier.[3] Many pathogens, including
HIV,
typhoid fever, and
coronaviruses such as
COVID-19 spread in their host populations through subclinical infection.[3][4][5]
Not all hosts of asymptomatic subclinical infections will become asymptomatic carriers. For example, hosts of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria will only develop active
tuberculosis in approximately one-tenth of cases;[6] the majority of those infected by Mtb bacteria have
latent tuberculosis, a non-infectious type of tuberculosis that does not produce symptoms in individuals with sufficient
immune responses.[7]
Because subclinical infections often occur without eventual overt sign, in some cases their presence is only identified by
microbiological culture or DNA techniques such as
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.[8][9]
Transmission
In humans
Many pathogens are transmitted through their host populations by hosts with few or no symptoms, including
sexually transmitted infections such as
syphilis and
genital warts.[10] In other cases, a host may develop more symptoms as the infection progresses beyond its
incubation period.[3][7] These hosts create a
natural reservoir of individuals that can transmit a pathogen to other individuals. Because cases often do not come to clinical attention,
health statistics frequently are unable to measure the true
prevalence of an infection in a
population. This prevents accurate
modeling of its transmissibility.[11][12]
In animals
Some animal pathogens are also transmitted through subclinical infections. The A(H5) and A(H7) strains of
avian influenza are divided into two categories: low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses, and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses.[13] While HPAI viruses have a very high mortality rate for
chickens,[14] LPAI viruses are very mild and produce few, if any symptoms; outbreaks in a flock may go undetected without ongoing testing.[14]
Wild
ducks and other
waterfowl are asymptomatic carriers of avian influenza, notably HPAI, and can be infected without showing signs of illness.[13][15] The prevalence of subclinical HPAI infection in waterfowl has contributed to the international outbreak of highly lethal
H5N8 virus that
began in early 2020.[13][16]
Pathogens known to cause subclinical infection
The following pathogens (together with their symptomatic illnesses) are known to be carried
asymptomatically, often in a large percentage of the potential host population:
^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.
PMID14606608.
S2CID43211363.
^
abKorenromp, Eline L; Sudaryo, Mondastri K; de Vlas, Sake J; Gray, Ronald H; Sewankambo, Nelson K; Serwadda, David; Wawer, Maria J; Habbema, J Dik F (1 February 2002). "What proportion of episodes of gonorrhoea and chlamydia becomes symptomatic?". International Journal of STD & AIDS. 13 (2): 91–101.
doi:
10.1258/0956462021924712.
PMID11839163.
S2CID33926189.
^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.
PMID12813999.
^Burke, Donald S.; Scott, Robert McN.; Johnson, David E.; Nisalak, Ananda (1 January 1988). "A Prospective Study of Dengue Infections in Bangkok". The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 38 (1): 172–180.
doi:
10.4269/ajtmh.1988.38.172.
PMID3341519.
INIST7572063.
^Wennerås, Christine; Erling, Valdemar (2004). "Prevalence of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-associated Diarrhoea and Carrier State in the Developing World". Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition. 22 (4): 370–382.
JSTOR23499155.
PMID15663170.
^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.
hdl:
20.500.12491/5541.
PMID15623954.
^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.
PMID10517722.