Seroprevalence

Seroprevalence is a term used in epidemiology to describe the number of persons in any given population who test positive for antibodies to a particular disease. When making a diagnosis, a physician must determine the seroprevalance for antibodies when a particular patient tests positive for them to determine whether the patient is likely to have the active disease or whether they have merely been exposed to it in the past.
For example, the seroprevalence of a disease like herpes is very high and therefore, if a patient test positive for it, it is highly unlikely that the result is relevant to the patient's current condition. However, the seroprevalence of tuberculosis is low and a patient who tests positive most likely has the disease.
Seroprevalence at WikipediaCategory:Epidemiology
Category:Medical terminology