definitive host
host that harbors the adult, sexual, or mature stage of a parasite
A definitive host is a type of host that harbors the adult stage or the reproductive stage of a parasite. In the life cycle of many parasites, definitive host is the host in which the parasite completes its sexual reproduction cycle and produces offspring that are capable of infecting other host organisms.
The definitive host is essential to the life cycle of the parasite, and without it, the parasite might not be able to survive and cause disease in other organisms. For example, in the case of Tapeworms, the adult tapeworms reside and complete their sexual reproduction cycle in the intestines of a definitive host, which is often a vertebrate animal, such as a human or a pig. Once the tapeworm produces eggs, the eggs are then passed out of the host’s body into the environment where they develop into infective larvae and can be ingested by other hosts, such as a cattle or a sheep, that act as intermediate hosts.
Understanding the life cycle and identifying the definitive host of a parasite is crucial in the development of strategies to control and prevent the spread of parasitic infections.
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