Which statement describes 'other hosts' of SLE?

Which statement describes 'other hosts' of SLE?

• A. Humans are incidental and disease in equines is rare
• B. Horses are primary hosts
• C. Birds are the sole hosts
• D. Dogs are the primary reservoir

Answer: (A)

In St. Louis encephalitis virus ecology, birds are the main hosts and keep the transmission cycle going. Mosquitoes become infected when feeding on viremic birds and then pass the virus to other birds. Humans and horses can get infected but do not contribute to spreading the virus further because their viremia is typically not high enough to infect feeding mosquitoes. That makes them incidental, or dead-end, hosts. So stating that humans are incidental and disease in equines is rare fits the concept that the primary cycle is bird-to-mosquito-to-bird, with humans and horses only sporadically affected and not sustaining transmission.

In St. Louis encephalitis virus ecology, birds are the main hosts and keep the transmission cycle going. Mosquitoes become infected when feeding on viremic birds and then pass the virus to other birds. Humans and horses can get infected but do not contribute to spreading the virus further because their viremia is typically not high enough to infect feeding mosquitoes. That makes them incidental, or dead-end, hosts. So stating that humans are incidental and disease in equines is rare fits the concept that the primary cycle is bird-to-mosquito-to-bird, with humans and horses only sporadically affected and not sustaining transmission.