Dead-end hosts
- Pronunciation
- /DEAD-end HOSTS/
- Category
- Ecology
- Singular
- Dead-end host
- Plural
- Dead-end hosts
Definition
Animals that are infected with a pathogen but do not develop a sufficiently high viremia to transmit the pathogen to vectors, such as mosquitoes.
Etymology
From the idea that these hosts are at the end of a transmission cycle.
Example
While pigs can be infected with Japanese encephalitis virus, they do not generally develop a high enough viremia to transmit it to mosquitoes.
Related Terms
- Vectors
- Transmission
- Host range