The intermediate host for heartworms is the:

The intermediate host for heartworms is the:

• A. Flea
• B. Rodent
• C. Mosquito
• D. Snail

Answer: (C)

Heartworm transmission depends on an organism that hosts the larvae during their development before they can infect a new animal. In this life cycle, a mosquito swallows microfilariae from an infected dog during a blood meal, the larvae mature inside the mosquito, and then the mosquito transmits the infective larvae to another dog with its next bite. That mosquito acts as the necessary intermediate host for heartworms. Fleas, rodents, and snails are not part of this heartworm development pathway, though they serve as vectors for other parasites. So the mosquito is the correct intermediate host.

Heartworm transmission depends on an organism that hosts the larvae during their development before they can infect a new animal. In this life cycle, a mosquito swallows microfilariae from an infected dog during a blood meal, the larvae mature inside the mosquito, and then the mosquito transmits the infective larvae to another dog with its next bite. That mosquito acts as the necessary intermediate host for heartworms. Fleas, rodents, and snails are not part of this heartworm development pathway, though they serve as vectors for other parasites. So the mosquito is the correct intermediate host.