What is a possible reservoir of African Horse Sickness (AHS)?

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Multiple Choice

What is a possible reservoir of African Horse Sickness (AHS)?

African horse sickness virus is transmitted by biting midges, and its persistence in nature depends on reservoir hosts—wild animals that can carry the virus with little or no illness and keep it available for transmission. Zebras are classic natural reservoirs because they often harbor the virus for extended periods with minimal disease, producing enough viremia to infect midges and sustain transmission cycles. This lets the virus remain in the ecosystem even when domestic horses aren’t showing disease. Donkeys and camels can be infected and may show clinical illness, but they do not serve as the main reservoir that maintains the virus in the wild. Humans can become infected but do not contribute to ongoing transmission; they are not reservoir hosts. So, zebras best fit the role of a reservoir for African horse sickness.

African horse sickness virus is transmitted by biting midges, and its persistence in nature depends on reservoir hosts—wild animals that can carry the virus with little or no illness and keep it available for transmission. Zebras are classic natural reservoirs because they often harbor the virus for extended periods with minimal disease, producing enough viremia to infect midges and sustain transmission cycles. This lets the virus remain in the ecosystem even when domestic horses aren’t showing disease.

Donkeys and camels can be infected and may show clinical illness, but they do not serve as the main reservoir that maintains the virus in the wild. Humans can become infected but do not contribute to ongoing transmission; they are not reservoir hosts.

So, zebras best fit the role of a reservoir for African horse sickness.

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