host-specific

[ hohst-spi-sif-ik ]

adjective

1. capable of living solely on or in one species of host, as a parasite that infests only chickens.

Word History and Origins

Origin of host-specific¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

And one of the most abundant milkweed-visiting aphids, the nonnative oleander aphid, is host-specific, meaning it doesn’t eat other plants.

From Seattle Times

“Parasites, particularly the host-specific species, are perhaps the most imperiled group of organisms on Earth,” he says.

From Scientific American

All are host-specific fleas that parasitize one species each.

From Scientific American

If a theoretical possum species were living in four populations—only two of which carried host-specific fleas—and the two flea-carrying populations disappeared, the possum species as a whole could survive.

From Scientific American

“Many species host a huge range of parasites, so the extinction of one bird can have a cascade effect of also causing a handful of host-specific parasites to disappear as well,” Kwak says.

From Scientific American