Which of the following organisms follow a bird-arthropod – human transmission route?

Correct Answer: A. Japanese encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a vector-borne viral infection transmitted by Culex mosquitoes (primarily Culex tritaeniorhynchus) that follow a specific epidemiological cycle: birds → mosquitoes → humans. Birds and pigs serve as the amplifying hosts, while humans are incidental (dead-end) hosts. The virus replicates in the CNS of infected birds without causing disease, and mosquitoes acquire infection by feeding on viremic birds. Humans become infected when bitten by infected mosquitoes, typically during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in endemic areas across India (particularly in northern and eastern regions). The key discriminating feature is that JE requires birds as the primary animal reservoir and arthropod vector for human transmission—not direct human-to-human or human-to-animal routes. This bird-arthropod-human cycle is pathognomonic for JE among the given options and explains its seasonal and geographic distribution in India.

Why the other options are wrong

B. Plague — Plague follows a rodent-flea-human transmission route, not bird-arthropod-human. The causative agent Yersinia pestis is maintained in rodent populations (rats, squirrels) and transmitted to humans via infected fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis). While birds can occasionally be infected, they are not the primary reservoir or amplifying host in the epidemiological cycle of plague. C. Malaria — Malaria follows a human-mosquito-human transmission route. Plasmodium parasites require humans as the definitive host where sexual reproduction occurs, and Anopheles mosquitoes as vectors. Birds are not involved in malaria transmission; the parasite cannot infect avian hosts. This is fundamentally different from the bird-arthropod-human cycle. D. Paragonimiasis — Paragonimiasis is a helminthic infection transmitted via consumption of raw/undercooked freshwater crustaceans (crabs, crayfish) infected with Paragonimus westermani metacercariae. The transmission route is human-water-crustacean-human, not involving birds or arthropod vectors. It is endemic in parts of India (Assam, Northeast) but does not follow the bird-arthropod-human pattern.

High-Yield Facts

Mnemonics

JE Transmission Cycle: BAH Birds → Arthropod (Culex) → Humans. Birds are the reservoir, mosquitoes are the vector, humans are incidental. Use this when differentiating JE from rodent-borne (plague) or human-to-human (malaria) diseases. JE vs Malaria Vectors JE = Culex (birds) | Malaria = Anopheles (humans). Culex feeds on birds and rests indoors; Anopheles feeds on humans. This 1-second rule separates the two most commonly confused vector-borne diseases in India.

NBE Trap

NBE may pair "Japanese encephalitis" with "mosquito-borne" to lure students into selecting malaria (also mosquito-borne) without recognizing the critical difference: JE requires birds as the amplifying host, while malaria is purely human-mosquito-human. The trap exploits superficial vector similarity while ignoring the epidemiological cycle.

Clinical Pearl

In Indian clinical practice, JE should be suspected in a febrile patient with acute encephalitis during monsoon season from endemic regions (Bihar, UP, West Bengal outbreaks are common). The bird-arthropod-human cycle explains why JE epidemics are seasonal and geographically clustered—unlike malaria, which can occur year-round in endemic areas due to continuous human-mosquito transmission.

_Reference: Jawetz, Melnick & Adelberg's Medical Microbiology Ch. 43 (Arboviruses); Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine Ch. 8 (Communicable Diseases)_