Überträger

Überträger is a German noun meaning "transmitter" or "carrier." It comes from über- (over, across) and tragen (to carry) and is used in several fields to denote something that conveys something else from one place to another, whether a biological agent, information, or energy.

In medicine and public health, ein Überträger is an organism or agent that transfers a pathogen from a reservoir to a susceptible host. In epidemiology the term is often used interchangeably with Vektor, though Vektor is the more technical term in many contexts. Classic examples are Anopheles mosquitoes transmitting malaria, ixodid ticks transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), and tsetse flies transmitting Trypanosoma (sleeping sickness). Non-biological carriers, such as contaminated equipment or environmental reservoirs, can also function as Überträger under appropriate conditions.

In telecommunications and information theory, der Überträger refers to the carrier medium that transmits a signal or data. This includes physical media such as copper cables, fiber optics, and air for wireless transmission, as well as the energy that embodies the information. In common usage the terms Überträger, Informationsüberträger or Träger are used depending on context.

In everyday language the word can denote any entity that spreads something else, such as a rumor or a trait, though in scientific contexts more specific terms are often preferred (for pathogens, see vector; for signals, see carrier or medium). See also Vektor, Träger, Informationsüberträger.