Humans Are a Dead-End Host

When there are plenty of susceptible birds, the virus will infect the birds, replicate to high amounts, and spread to other birds and animals.

When key species of birds are not available, mosquitoes might shift to biting more humans. Although the virus can infect humans and cause disease, it will not spread.

Circle flow chart of a mosquito with an arrow pointing to a bird with an arrow point back to the mosquito. An offshoot red arrow points from the mosquito to a human. Small hexagons scattered around the arrows represent the spreading of a virus.

Mosquitoes’ Host Preferences

Dr. Marm Kilpatrick and Dr. Laura Kramer