The definitive host is the one which harbors the adult parasite and where the parasite reproduces sexually. The intermediate host is the host which harbors the larval stage or the asexual forms of the parasite. Few parasites require two different intermediate hosts in addition to a definitive host.
Which is example of definitive host?
A big examples of definitive hosts are humans, which can harbor viruses, bacteria, and worm-like parasites like the pinworm, whip-worm, and some tapeworms. Plasmodium; the malaria parasite requires both humans and the mosquito, but its definitive host is the mosquito.
Does every parasite have a definitive host?
Nematodes, trypanosomatids, and Cryptosporidium are examples of parasites with direct life cycles. Parasites with indirect life cycles are characterized by two host stages, which require a definitive host and an intermediate host. The definitive host stage is required for reproduction and the adult life phase.
What is definitive or primary host?
Definitive or primary host – an organism in which the parasite reaches the adult stage and reproduces sexually, if possible. This is the final host.
What parasite is host specific?
In simple terms, host specificity can be defined as the number and identity of host species that are used by a parasite population. Parasites that are highly host-specific will occur in a single host species, whereas generalist parasites will be dispersed unequally among individual hosts from several different species.
What is intermediate parasite?
1 : a host which is normally used by a parasite in the course of its life cycle and in which it may multiply asexually but not sexually — compare definitive host.
What is facultative parasite example?
A facultative parasite is an organism that may resort to parasitic activity, but does not absolutely rely on any host for completion of its life cycle. Examples of facultative parasitism occur among many species of fungi, such as family members of the genus Armillaria.
What is the definitive host of Plasmodium?
parasites are the causative agents of malaria in humans and animals, and they are exceptionally diverse in their morphology and life cycles. They grow and develop in a wide range of host environments, both within blood-feeding mosquitoes, their definitive hosts, and in vertebrates, which are intermediate hosts.