Biological vectors transmit diseases through various mechanisms. When a vector, such as a mosquito, bites an infected host, it ingests the pathogen along with the blood meal. Inside the vector, the pathogen undergoes development or replication. For instance, the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, matures in the gut of the mosquito before migrating to the salivary glands. When the mosquito bites another host, the parasite is transmitted, completing the cycle.
