Final answer:
Intermediate hosts allow parasites to go through part of their life cycle, whereas definitive hosts are where the parasites reach maturity and reproduce. The correct relation is A) Intermediate hosts transmit parasites to humans; Definitive hosts harbor adult parasites and produce eggs. Examples include freshwater snails as intermediate hosts for schistosomes and humans as definitive hosts for tapeworms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terms intermediate hosts and definitive hosts are related to the life cycle of parasites. The correct relationship between intermediate and definitive hosts is:
A) Intermediate hosts transmit parasites to humans; Definitive hosts harbor adult parasites and produce eggs
B) Intermediate hosts harbor adult parasites; Definitive hosts transmit parasites to humans
C) Intermediate hosts produce eggs; Definitive hosts harbor adult parasites
D) Intermediate hosts transmit parasites to humans; Definitive hosts produce eggs
The correct answer is A. An intermediate host is the one in which a parasite goes through some stages of its life cycle before migrating to the definitive host. The definitive host harbors the adult parasites, where they often reach sexual maturity and reproduce, releasing eggs into the environment.Examples of intermediate hosts include freshwater snails in the life cycle of schistosomes, where the snails act as intermediate hosts for the parasite's larval stages. Birds, rodents, and other animals can also serve as intermediate hosts by ingesting contaminated materials. On the other hand, humans often act as definitive hosts for various parasites, such as tapeworms and schistosomes, where these parasites reach maturity and produce eggs that are excreted with human waste, potentially infecting the environment or other hosts.