Which statement best distinguishes incubatory carriers from convalescent carriers?

• A. Incubatory carriers shed agents after recovery.
• B. Convalescent carriers serve as source during incubation.
• C. Incubatory carriers serve as source during incubation.
• D. Convalescent carriers shed infectious agents during active symptoms.

Answer: (C)

Timing of infectious shedding relative to symptom onset is what distinguishes incubatory carriers from convalescent carriers. An incubatory carrier is contagious during the incubation period, before any illness develops, enabling transmission before symptoms appear. A convalescent carrier remains infectious after recovery, during convalescence, even though symptoms have resolved. The statement that incubatory carriers serve as the source during incubation captures this difference most clearly. The other options mix up the timing: shedding after recovery describes convalescent carriers; being a source during incubation is specific to incubatory carriers; shedding during active symptoms describes the acute phase, not the convalescent stage.