alternate host


nounEcology.
  1. a host, other than the usual or primary host, on which a parasitic organism can sustain itself.

Words Nearby alternate host

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alternate host in a sentence

Scientific definitions for alternate host

alternate host

  1. One of two species of host on which some pathogens, such as certain rust fungi, must develop to complete their life cycles.

  2. A species of host other than the principal host on which a parasite can survive.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.