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Latent period (syn: latency): Delay between exposure to a diseasecausing agent and the appearance of manifestations of the disease.
After exposure to ionizing radiation, for instance, there is a latent period
of five years, on average, before development of leukemia, and more
than 20 years before development of certain other malignant
conditions. The term “latent period” is often used synonymously with
“induction period”; that is, the period between exposure to a diseasecausing agent and the appearance of manifestations of the disease. It
has also been defined as the period from disease initiation to disease
detection.
Last JM: A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2nd ed, International Epidemiology Association, 1988; pg 72.
Aron JL. Mathematical modeling: the dynamics of infection. In: Infectious Disease Epidemiology, 2nd ed
(Nelson KE, Williams CM, eds), 2007; pg 183.