In life science, the term "window period" refers to the time between initial infection with a pathogen (such as a virus) and the point at which diagnostic tests can accurately detect the infection. During this window period, the viral load or presence of the pathogen in the body may be too low to be detectable by standard tests. This can lead to false-negative test results, where an infected individual is incorrectly identified as not having the infection. The duration of the window period varies depending on the specific pathogen and the type of test being used.
