Lyme disease

[crescendo85]

Which of the following most logically completes the argument ?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to people by deer ticks. Deer ticks are almost never born infected with the bacterium, but they can pick it up from feeding on an infected host in any of the tick's three successive stage of development: larva, nymph, adult. Once infected, a tick remains infected through any subsequent developmental stages, but since a tick feeds on only one host in each stage, it follows that ______________

A. People can be infected only by being bitten by a tick that is either in larval stage or in the nymph stage
B. People cannot be infected by a tick that picked up the Lyme disease bacterium in the adult stage
C. It is not possible for a person to be infected by a tick that is in the nymph stage or by a tick that was infected with the bacterium while in the nymph stage
D. People infected with the Lyme disease bacterium cannot transmit bacterium to adult deer ticks
E. Only deer ticks that are adults can transmit the Lyme disease bacterium to people

Ans is B. Got it from Gmatclub but the explanation is not clear. Please help

[MartyMurray]

The prompt lists the stages of development.

"the tick's three successive stage of development: larva, nymph, adult."

Then the prompt says the following.

"a tick feeds on only one host in each stage"

So, if a tick feeds on only one host during each stage, then a tick that has already fed during the adult stage will not feed again.

In order to pick up Lyme disease, a tick has to feed on a host. Therefore if a tick picks up Lyme disease in the tick's adult stage, the tick has already fed in the adult stage and will not feed again.

Now, look at B.

B. People cannot be infected by a tick that picked up the Lyme disease bacterium in the adult stage.

Here's where the question breaks down a little. The question assumes that you know that a tick must feed on a person in order to infect the person.

So the reason B is correct is that a tick that has picked up Lyme disease during the adult stage will not feed on any further hosts. Therefore people will not be infected by such a tick, because the tick will not feed on them.

[crescendo85]

Thanks a lot. Its clear now.
I was thinking that ticks dont feed on humans (host here means animals such as rats)

[crescendo85]

Marty please can you check your inbox. Have something else as well. Will delete this post in bit. Thnx

[joealam1]

what a weird argument...

so basically deer feeds on human??? and because they feed on only one poor guy then other humans won't get the infected because the deer won't feed on them???

let's consider that the deer would feed on a multitude of persons, then the rest will get infected?? won't those people that the deer fed on be dead???

either i didn't get the idea out of the text or the argument is really mind f***!!

[MartyMurray]

what a weird argument...

so basically deer feeds on human??? and because they feed on only one poor guy then other humans won't get the infected because the deer won't feed on them???

let's consider that the deer would feed on a multitude of persons, then the rest will get infected?? won't those people that the deer fed on be dead???

either i didn't get the idea out of the text or the argument is really mind f***!!

LLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

joealam1, you just made my day.

Deer ticks are not deer. They are tiny insects that live on the blood of deer and other animals.

[joealam1]

ehehe i am glad i did!

This exam is so unfair for non-native

wouldn't have been better if they just said mosquito instead