If the horse is a “dead end host” then why are the protozoa dangerouse in the body?
A.) First we need to define “dead end host”- that is an animal who can serve as host to one or more stages of the life cycle of a parasite, but not the stage that includes reproduction, and production of infective particles to the same or other species. The protozoa that we see in the fecals have hatched from the cysts, but cannot reproduce in the horse- or that is what is currently thought. But, they can wreak havock on their own if they are able to make their way inside the body. Remember, no other living entities are supposed to be inside the body. A similar condition has been observed in man for many years, now. It is called “visceral larval migrans”, and it is a condition where parasitic worms from animals hatch from ingested eggs, in man, and then begin a lifetime of migrations throughout the body, including the brain, without ever completing their life cycles and actually reproducing. This is a perfect example of a “dead end host”. Just because a host is dead end, only describes
