Which statement exemplifies an incubatory carrier?

• A. A person incubating a viral respiratory infection.
• B. A person shedding helminths after recovery.
• C. A person with active symptomatic infection.
• D. A person never infected.

Answer: (A)

An incubatory carrier is someone who harbors an infectious agent during the incubation period, before any symptoms appear, and can transmit the pathogen to others. The statement about a person incubating a viral respiratory infection fits this idea perfectly because the individual is carrying the virus before illness is evident and can spread it.

In contrast, shedding after recovery describes a convalescent carrier—still releasing the pathogen after symptoms have resolved, not during the incubation window. Having an active symptomatic infection means the person is already ill and usually spreading the pathogen once symptoms have begun. Never being infected cannot be a carrier at all.