Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The term "convalescent" refers to the period of recovery from an illness or medical treatment. "Sera" refers to the plural of serum, which is the component of blood remaining after clotting factors and cells have been removed. Convalescent serum, therefore, relates to the serum from an individual in a specific stage of disease.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Convalescence is the gradual recovery of health and strength after an illness.
During this recovery phase, the patient's immune system has successfully mounted a response against the pathogen.
As a result, their blood serum is rich in specific antibodies that were produced to fight that particular infection.
Therefore, convalescent serum is the serum obtained from patients who are recovering from an infectious disease.
This serum can be used as a form of passive immunotherapy (convalescent plasma therapy) to treat other individuals who are actively sick with the same disease, as it provides them with pre-formed antibodies.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Convalescent sera belongs to sera of patients recovering from infectious disease.