Transovarial transmission.
The success of a parasite depends upon its ability to transmit itself to new hosts. Many parasites are passed on from mother to daughter in a process known as vertical, or linear, transmission. Vertical transmission includes parasites transmitted across the placenta or via milk but in this review Judy Smith and Alison Dunn concentrate specifically on intracellular parasites. Transovarial transmission is widely used by a range of organisms but its importance, particularly in transmission of parasites, has rarely been studied.
Department of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
J E
JE
Smith
A M
AM
Dunn