Host tracing

From
Revision as of 16:45, 26 March 2023 by Bosmana fem (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Host - definition

A person or other living animal, including birds and arthropods, offers subsistence or lodging to an infectious agent under natural conditions. A transport host is a carrier in which the organism remains alive but does not undergo development.

A primary host is where a parasite reaches maturity or passes its sexual stage. A secondary host is where a parasite is in a larval or asexual stage.

When is host-tracing useful?

Host tracing has value in the following situations:

  • When there is a reasonable suspicion that the host is still infectious. In such a situation, host tracing may allow effective prevention measures (isolation and/or treatment of the host) that reduce the risk of further transmission.
  • To learn. For example, in case of communicable diseases that require timely host isolation and/or treatment, it may be relevant to learn why previous prevention measures failed.


References:

  • David L. Heymann (editor). Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. APHA, 2008


FEM PAGE CONTRIBUTORS 2007

Editor
Arnold Bosman
Contributors
Arnold Bosman

Contributors