UPSC Prelims 2002 Q118: Science & Technology – Health & Diseases
Foot - and - mouth disease in animals, a current epidemic in some parts of the world, is
caused by
- (a) Bacterium
- (b) Fungus
- (c) Protozoan
- (d) Virus
Answer: (d) Virus
Explanation
Cause of foot-and-mouth disease in animals
| Option | Class of organism |
|---|---|
| Virus | Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by a picornavirus (aphthovirus) |
| Bacterium | Causes anthrax and brucellosis |
| Fungus | Causes ringworm |
| Protozoan | Causes trypanosomiasis and surra |
Foot-and-mouth disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats is caused by an aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. It was in the news in 2001 following the epidemic in Britain.
Answer: (d) Virus.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Bacteria cause anthrax and similar diseases.
- (b) Incorrect. Fungi cause skin diseases such as ringworm.
- (c) Incorrect. Protozoa cause surra and similar diseases.
- (d) CORRECT. Foot-and-mouth disease is viral.
Key point
Animal diseases: FMD - virus; anthrax - bacterium; surra - protozoan; rinderpest - virus.
Remember
FMD is viral; it spreads rapidly among cloven-footed animals.
Common mistakes
- Choosing bacterium as the default cause of infection.
- Confusing FMD with hand, foot and mouth disease of humans.
- Not linking the 2001 British epidemic to a virus.
Exam tip
Highly contagious cattle epidemics such as FMD and rinderpest are viral.
Sources
- Ministry of Animal Husbandry — FMD control programme
- NCERT Class XII Biology — Human Health and Disease