Are mosquitoes vectors for Ebola virus?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only in laboratory conditions
• D. Only in arctic regions

Answer: (B)

Vectors are organisms that can carry a pathogen from one host to another, enabling transmission. For Ebola virus, transmission occurs mainly through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated surfaces, and the natural reservoir is believed to be fruit bats; most spread happens human-to-human during outbreaks. Mosquitoes do not serve as vectors for Ebola because the virus does not replicate effectively in them and a bite from an infected mosquito has not been shown to transmit the virus. Studies consistently show mosquitoes are not capable of transmitting Ebola to humans, so the idea that they are vectors is not supported. The other options don’t fit: there’s no evidence that transmission occurs only in laboratory conditions or only in Arctic regions.