RAS question
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in livestock is caused by which type of pathogen?
Correct answer: (C) Virus.
Foot and Mouth Disease in livestock is caused by a virus, specifically an Aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
Explanation
Foot and Mouth Disease is a viral disease, not a bacterial, fungal, or protozoan infection. Its causative agent is an Aphthovirus belonging to the family Picornaviridae, while the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations describes FMD as a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and related wild species. This is why the pathogen type asked in the MCQ is virus. The disease matters for livestock policy because it affects major farm animals and is addressed in India through FMD-CP and FMD-PCP under the National Animal Disease Control Programme, with the stated aim of achieving FMD-free status by 2030.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Bacterium is wrong because FMD is identified as a viral disease, unlike bacterial livestock diseases such as brucellosis or haemorrhagic septicaemia.
- (B) Fungus is wrong because fungal infections in animals may cause conditions such as ringworm, whereas FMD is caused by a virus.
- (D) Protozoan is wrong because protozoan livestock diseases include theileriosis and trypanosomiasis, while FMD is viral in origin.
Concept
This tests the basic pathogen classification of an economically important livestock disease. RAS often repeats such questions because animal health programmes connect science, agriculture, and public-policy implementation.