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alternate host

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noun Ecology.
  1. a host, other than the usual or primary host, on which a parasitic organism can sustain itself.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
alternate host in Science

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