Window period

Window period

In medicine, the window period for a test designed to detect a specific disease (particularly infectious disease) is the time between first infection and when the test can reliably detect that infection. In antibody-based testing, the window period is dependent on the time taken for seroconversion.

The window period is important to epidemiology and safe sex strategies, and in blood and organ donation, because during this time, an infected person or animal cannot be detected as infected but may still be able to infect others. For this reason, the most effective disease-prevention strategies combine testing with a waiting period longer than the test's window period.

The window period takes no more than 6 months.


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  • Window — Win dow, n. [OE. windowe, windoge, Icel. vindauga window, properly, wind eye; akin to Dan. vindue. ????. See {Wind}, n., and {Eye}.] [1913 Webster] 1. An opening in the wall of a building for the admission of light and air, usually closed by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • Window blind — Window Win dow, n. [OE. windowe, windoge, Icel. vindauga window, properly, wind eye; akin to Dan. vindue. ????. See {Wind}, n., and {Eye}.] [1913 Webster] 1. An opening in the wall of a building for the admission of light and air, usually closed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Window bole — Window Win dow, n. [OE. windowe, windoge, Icel. vindauga window, properly, wind eye; akin to Dan. vindue. ????. See {Wind}, n., and {Eye}.] [1913 Webster] 1. An opening in the wall of a building for the admission of light and air, usually closed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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