host
Quick Summary
A host is an organism that harbors another organism, which may be a parasite, a mutualistic symbiont, or a pathogen. This relationship can be mutually beneficial, parasitic, or commensal.
Types of Hosts
- Host Plant: A plant that an organism, such as an insect or mildew, lives on and subsists from.1
- Definitive Host: The host in which a parasite undergoes sexual reproduction.2
- Intermediate Host: A host where a parasite may multiply asexually but not sexually. This host can also act as a carrier or vector.3
- Host Cell: A living cell that is invaded by, or capable of being invaded by, an infectious agent like a bacterium or virus.4
Endosymbiosis is a phenomenon where one organism lives within another, often in a mutually beneficial relationship, though it can also be parasitic. This process has been crucial in the evolution of eukaryotic cells, leading to the development of organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts. Many multicellular organisms, especially invertebrates, rely on intracellular microbial endosymbionts for survival, such as obtaining essential nutrients or fixing carbon and nitrogen.5
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diseaseHost-parasite relationshipsIn the context of communicable disease, the host-parasite relationship must be considered not only with respect to the individual host-parasite interaction but also in terms of the interrelationship between the host and parasite populations, as well as those of any other host species…
Read MoreIn the context of communicable disease, the host-parasite relationship must be considered not only with respect to the individual host-parasite interaction but also in terms of the interrelationship between the host and parasite populations, as well as those of any other host species…
Read More- diseasePrevention
…the links connecting the susceptible host with the source of infection. Malaria can be controlled effectively by the elimination of the mosquito vector, and louse-borne typhus in humans can be regulated by disinfestation methods. Similarly, diseases spread in epidemic form through the agency of water or milk are controlled by…
Read More…the links connecting the susceptible host with the source of infection. Malaria can be controlled effectively by the elimination of the mosquito vector, and louse-borne typhus in humans can be regulated by disinfestation methods. Similarly, diseases spread in epidemic form through the agency of water or milk are controlled by…
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human diseasePredisposition of the hostUp to this point, diseases caused by biotic agents have been considered in terms of the role of the invader. Equally important is the role of the host, the individual who contracts the disease. Any infectious disease is a test between the invader and…
Read MoreUp to this point, diseases caused by biotic agents have been considered in terms of the role of the invader. Equally important is the role of the host, the individual who contracts the disease. Any infectious disease is a test between the invader and…
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virus…of finding a susceptible animal host. In 1933 the British investigators Wilson Smith, Christopher H. Andrewes, and Patrick P. Laidlaw were able to transmit influenza to ferrets, and the influenza virus was subsequently adapted to mice. In 1941 the American scientist George K. Hirst found that influenza virus grown in
Read More…of finding a susceptible animal host. In 1933 the British investigators Wilson Smith, Christopher H. Andrewes, and Patrick P. Laidlaw were able to transmit influenza to ferrets, and the influenza virus was subsequently adapted to mice. In 1941 the American scientist George K. Hirst found that influenza virus grown in
Read More- virusTreatment
…inhibit protein synthesis in the host cell.
Read More…inhibit protein synthesis in the host cell.
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