A person infected with a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism who transmits it to an unusually large number of other people.
a superspreader could turn a single laboratory infection into a potential pandemic
Example sentencesExamples
Medical experts fighting SARS in China said they still do not understand why some people survive the disease, especially those in a small group dubbed "superspreaders", who may infect hundreds.
Superspreaders would carry more of the infectious virus in their respiratory secretions.
"It's very likely this virus is usually spread by droplet transmission, but from time to time it may be embedded in a 'superspreader' who may also spread the virus through airborne transmissions," said Dr. Schaffner.
What makes for a superspreader is still unclear, but could be a mix of biological/genetic and environmental causes.
One superspreader may have been a 64-year-old doctor in China who traveled to Hong Kong in late February.
Certain patients seem to act as "superspreaders."
Experts warn that some people may be so-called "superspreaders," or more prone than others to transmit the virus.
Public health officials documented a total of seven people directly infected by the doctor, making him a superspreader.
SARS went global thanks to a superspreader.
Perhaps the most infamous superspreader in history was Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary.
Definition of superspreader in US English:
superspreader
nounˈso͞opərˌspredər
A person infected with a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism who transmits it to an unusually large number of other people.
a superspreader could turn a single laboratory infection into a potential pandemic
Example sentencesExamples
SARS went global thanks to a superspreader.
"It's very likely this virus is usually spread by droplet transmission, but from time to time it may be embedded in a 'superspreader' who may also spread the virus through airborne transmissions," said Dr. Schaffner.
Perhaps the most infamous superspreader in history was Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary.
Superspreaders would carry more of the infectious virus in their respiratory secretions.
Certain patients seem to act as "superspreaders."
Public health officials documented a total of seven people directly infected by the doctor, making him a superspreader.
One superspreader may have been a 64-year-old doctor in China who traveled to Hong Kong in late February.
Experts warn that some people may be so-called "superspreaders," or more prone than others to transmit the virus.
What makes for a superspreader is still unclear, but could be a mix of biological/genetic and environmental causes.
Medical experts fighting SARS in China said they still do not understand why some people survive the disease, especially those in a small group dubbed "superspreaders", who may infect hundreds.