Clinical latency

Clinical latency is the state, or time period, in which an infectious agent produces no clinical symptoms in a host. This is particularly notable with viruses and bacterium with long periods of latency such as HIV and syphilis. Latency is not equivalent to dormancy. For example, although HIV-positive patients usually exhibit little evidence of illness early in the disease, HIV is active in the lymphatic system accumulating a large viral load. The study of clinical latency is central to the understanding and treatment of many illnesses.