RAS question
Which is the primary host animal of the Nipah virus?
Correct answer: (B) Fruit bats (Pteropus).
Fruit bats, especially Pteropus fruit bats, are the primary reservoir host of the Nipah virus.
Explanation
Nipah is a zoonotic virus, which means it is found in animals and can infect humans. The reservoir host is the core concept, not every animal that may be involved in transmission. The WHO fact sheet identifies fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family as the natural host of Nipah virus, with fruit bats of Pteropus species as the precise reservoir group. Human infection can occur from infected bats and other animals, and the virus can also spread directly between people, but that does not change the primary host. Therefore, fruit bats (Pteropus) remain the primary reservoir host under the World Health Organization's natural-host classification.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pigs can be involved in Nipah transmission and outbreaks, but the World Health Organization identifies fruit bats, not pigs, as the natural host.
- (C) Rats are not the primary reservoir or natural host of Nipah virus.
- (D) Monkeys are not the reservoir host of Nipah virus; the natural host is fruit bats.
Concept
Zoonotic diseases and reservoir hosts are core Science and Technology topics. RAS frequently requires a clear distinction between a natural host, an intermediate animal, and human-to-human transmission.