Dictionary > Infestation

Infestation

Definition
noun, plural: infestations
(ecology) The state of having a large number of pest organisms thriving in a particular area
(parasitology) Ectoparasitism
Supplement
Infestation generally refers to the presence of an organism regarded as pest. A pest is a general term for organisms (rats, insects, etc.) which may cause illness or damage or consume food crops and other materials important to humans. An organism that is considered a nuisance to man, most usually having pathogenic properties.
Infestation is also used in parasitology to pertain to ectoparasitism. Ectoparasitism is a form of parasitism wherein the parasite lives outside the body of the host. The parasite is referred to in particular as an ectoparasite. In ectoparasitism, the host-parasite relationship is non-mutual. Many of the endoparasitic relationships do not lead to much harm to the host compared with that in endoparasitism. Nevertheless, there are ectoparasites that serve as carriers of disease. For instance, the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, may carry dengue virus, which can cause dengue. The mosquito is an example of an ectoparasite since it benefits from its host, e.g. human, by feeding on the blood of the latter. Other examples of ectoparasitism are ticks, lice, and leech that feed externally from the skin of their host.
See also:


You will also like...

Plant biology
Plant Biology

Plantlife can be studied at a variety of levels, from the molecular, genetic and biochemical level through organelles, c..

Freshwater lake ecosystem
Freshwater Producers and Consumers

Freshwater ecosystem is comprised of four major constituents, namely elements and compounds, plants, consumers, and deco..

Schematic diagram of bacterial lactose operon
Gene Action – Operon Hypothesis

Learn how the way genes control and determine every aspect of the body. This lesson uses lac operon as an example. ..

..

DNA - schematic
Genetic Mutations

This tutorial looks at the mutation at the gene level and the harm it may bring. Learn about single nucleotide polymorph..

Darwin's Finches - Natural Selection
Darwin and Natural Selection

This tutorial investigates the genetic diversity in more detail. It also delineates how certain alleles are favored over..

Chromosome Mutations
Chromosome Mutations

Mutations can also influence the phenotype of an organism. This tutorial looks at the effects of chromosomal mutations, ..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics