Foot-and-Mouth disease in animals, a current epidemic in some parts of the world, is caused by

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Q: 118 (IAS/2002)
Foot-and-Mouth disease in animals, a current epidemic in some parts of the world, is caused by

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,39,106,51,38,17,39

keywords: 

{'mouth disease': [1, 0, 2, 1], 'fungus': [1, 0, 1, 1], 'current epidemic': [0, 0, 1, 0], 'virus': [4, 0, 0, 1], 'foot': [1, 0, 7, 2], 'bacterium': [4, 2, 6, 5], 'animals': [0, 0, 1, 2], 'protozoan': [3, 0, 7, 2]}

Foot-and-Mouth disease is primarily a disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals and is caused by the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Let`s look at the options:

Option 1: Bacterium - This is incorrect. Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms and while they can cause many diseases, Foot-and-Mouth is not one of them as it`s caused by a virus, not a bacterium.

Option 2: Fungus - This too is inaccurate. Fungi are a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, and while they can cause diseases like ringworm or athlete`s foot, they are not the cause of Foot-and-Mouth disease.

Option 3: Protozoan - Again, this answer is incorrect. Protozoans are a diverse group of unicellular eukaryotic organisms, historically placed in the Kingdom Protozoa. They can cause diseases such as malaria or giardia, but not Foot-and-mouth disease.

Option 4: Virus - Yes, this is the correct answer. The Foot-and-Mouth disease is caused by a virus which is highly contagious and affects animals like cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. This virus is responsible for significant economic loss in livestock industries worldwide