A person who carries diphtheria bacteria but does not show symptoms of the disease, capable of transmitting the infection to others.
From diphtheria (Greek 'diphthera' meaning membrane) + -phor (from Greek 'phoros' meaning bearer/carrier). A term from epidemiology describing asymptomatic disease carriers.
Diphtheriaphors were epidemiologists' nightmare before vaccines—someone could look perfectly healthy while carrying deadly bacteria in their throat, making disease spread unpredictable and impossible to control without vaccination.
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