Are you a super-spreader?
Medical experts indicate approximately 80 percent of infections are spread by just 20 percent of infected people–super-spreaders–in a phenomenon known simply as the 80/20 rule.…
Are you a super-spreader, someone who passes infections without realizing it? (Shutterstock)
Medical experts indicate approximately 80 percent of infections are spread by just 20 percent of infected people–super-spreaders–in a phenomenon known simply as the 80/20 rule.
This interesting fact about disease spread is true not only in the human kingdom, but the animal kingdom as well, and has been documented worldwide during outbreaks of tuberculosis, measles, cholera, and Ebola viral haemorrhagic fever.
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In August of last year, a study published in the journal PLoS One used birds as the species in which to study the 80/20 rule; the findings were as expected. For a number of speculated reasons, some birds were what researchers called “supershedders,” animals that were more likely to pass on infections to other birds they came in contact with.
The reasons for this, stated researchers in the study, most likely had to do with the host animal’s natural response to a virus, overall health, access to food, and social status, though there was no clear-cut reason for why some birds were more infectious compared to others.
Now, experts say the same information on super-spreaders can be applied to humans, and it appears that the super-spreaders among the population are not necessarily the outwardly sickest individuals. Research suggests that super-spreaders appear fairly healthy, and it all has to do with how their immune system handles an infection.
Why some people are super-spreaders
An individual’s infection status often depends on how healthy that individual is at the time of infection and how frequently that person comes in contact with others. Daycare centers, hospitals and office settings, for example, are prime places for high rates of infection. But super-spreaders are hazardous wherever they might be. According to research presented by the National Academy of Sciences, a super-spreader likely becomes so due to how the immune system reacts when a pathogen enters the body.
Despite common assumption, super-spreaders rarely show signs of sickness. (Shutterstock)
While many people’s immune systems go into “kill and control” mode, where the pathogen is attacked and eliminated, some people’s systems instead go into “management” mode. When this happens, the body focuses on preserving the body rather than fighting off the pathogen. In other words, the infection is allowed to flourish in the body, and the immune system focuses on doing things that would prevent symptoms of illness.
This is what makes a super-spreader dangerous to those around him or her. Though not outwardly ill, this individual is carrying around a thriving form of invading pathogen.
Other things can complicate the status of a super-spreader. Some people may become super-spreaders because they have deficient immune systems, and more virulent strains of infections are able to take hold of their bodies. Other super-spreaders may have become that way from overuse of antibiotics which can kill beneficial pathogens and allow dangerous ones to harbor in areas of the body like the intestines.
Are super-spreaders a threat to public health?
Super-spreaders have existed in the world for as long as creatures have inhabited the planet, and while they do contribute to disease outbreaks, there is nothing that suggests such individuals are growing in number or have any concerning role in the rate of infectious diseases around the world.
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There is currently no way to identify these individuals, however, but the ability to do so would undoubtedly mean a lot for public health. Right now, super-spreaders are walking around, unaware they are sick because they show no outward symptoms. They can’t be identified because they have no reason to go to the doctor. If experts were able to develop a screening test included with routine lab work that identified super-spreaders, perhaps infection control programs could be developed for these unique individuals.
