Donosiciel

Donosiciel is a Polish noun derived from the verb donosic, meaning "to bring, convey, or transmit." In medical and biological contexts it is used to denote an organism or individual that carries and possibly spreads a pathogen, but does not necessarily suffer from the disease itself. The term commonly appears in epidemiology, microbiology, and public health literature to describe carriers of infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites.

A classic application of donosiciel is the description of asymptomatic carriers of diseases like tuberculosis or HIV, who harbor the pathogen and can transmit it to others. In veterinary science the word may refer to an animal that serves as a reservoir of a disease, thereby playing a crucial role in maintaining transmission cycles. In non‑medical usage donosiciel can also broadly refer to any entity that carries or conveys something, including ideas, cargo, or information.

Scholarly sources often differentiate between “aktywne donosiciele” (active carriers) who shed the pathogen in sufficient quantities to infect others, and “pasywni donosiciele” (passive carriers) who carry the agent but are unlikely to cause infection. Public health interventions frequently target the identification and isolation of active donosiciele to curb outbreaks.

The concept is related to the English term "carrier" and to other Polish terms such as “peryferyjny host” (peripheral host) and “rezervoar” (reservoir). Understanding the role of the donosiciel in disease dynamics is essential for developing effective prevention and control strategies.