What defines a host in infectious disease terms?

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Multiple Choice

What defines a host in infectious disease terms?

A host is the organism that can become infected by a pathogen and in which the pathogen can establish infection and, often, replicate. Susceptibility is the key idea—if the organism is not susceptible, the pathogen cannot take hold. So describing a host as any person who is susceptible to infection highlights that it’s the organism capable of harboring and supporting the pathogen’s life cycle. This differs from a reservoir, which maintains the pathogen in the environment, and a vector, which transmits the pathogen between hosts.

A host is the organism that can become infected by a pathogen and in which the pathogen can establish infection and, often, replicate. Susceptibility is the key idea—if the organism is not susceptible, the pathogen cannot take hold. So describing a host as any person who is susceptible to infection highlights that it’s the organism capable of harboring and supporting the pathogen’s life cycle. This differs from a reservoir, which maintains the pathogen in the environment, and a vector, which transmits the pathogen between hosts.

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