Do we consider a co-infection as invitro infection of two different pathogens to a single cell type, or infection of two different pathogens to an animal model.
Like wise Mixed infection-the term is only for In vitro types of infection?
In clinical bacteriology what we usually mean by a mixed infection is where a single infection is caused by a variety of bacterial species which are simultaneous causing the same infection. For example: peritonitis cased by all kinds of different gut bacteria and yeasts. Co-infection is more likely to mean the person has got two separate infections going on at the same time (like HIV and TB).
The definitions of "co-infection" and "mixed infection" will depend on context. You could easily apply either term to a single cell, a cell line, part of a host or a whole host and they would mean slightly different things. If you are writing you should just specify exactly what you mean when you use either term.
You may be right in the sense that in vitro models are performed for experimental purposes in which co-and mixed infections are generally undesirable as they will confound the out read.
Having said that, it is good practice to clearly define ambiguous terms when referring to them.
Co-infection 'Different species', mixed infection 'same species', that is how we use it in parasitology
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-infection
and its links and references.
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the co-infection also refered to infections that causes due to the existing of some pathogens in the host, like the case of immunodeficiency like in HIV and the other parasitic diseases like leishmania, and the other bacterial diseases and usually the co-infection pathogen were not belong to the same class of the primary infection agent,
and as I know in mix infections I agree with the guy that usually they are same genera especially in parasitic diseases.
in haploid organisms such as Plasmodium spp. mixed infection is used to describe different genotypes (i.e. strains) of the same species infecting the same individual. co-infection is usually used to describe different species (i.e. P. vivax or P. falciparum) infecting the same individual.
In clinical bacteriology what we usually mean by a mixed infection is where a single infection is caused by a variety of bacterial species which are simultaneous causing the same infection. For example: peritonitis cased by all kinds of different gut bacteria and yeasts. Co-infection is more likely to mean the person has got two separate infections going on at the same time (like HIV and TB).
I agree with Hannah's answers. It is very important to define your terms very clearly and to cite literature that support your definitions. This is very important where you have different meanings for the same terms; different areas in Biology might give different definitions for the same term. Providing definitions on your own part will remove any ambiguity.
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