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...

Freshwater lake ecosystem
Freshwater Producers and Consumers

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

An artist's depiction of the origin of amphibians
Amphibians & Early Reptiles

Obtaining air outside an aquatic environment required species to acquire suitable adaptations, and this was the case of ..

Hominid
The Hominids

The hominid family diversified from the apes around 6 to 8 million years ago. Since then, the evolutionary path has prov..

IQ, Creativity and Learning
IQ, Creativity and Learning

Human intelligence provided the means to utilize abstract ideas and implement reasoning. This tutorial takes a further l..

Nephrolepis exaltata
Vascular Plants: Ferns and Relatives

Ferns and their relatives are vascular plants, meaning they have xylem and phloem tissues. Because of the presence of va..

Wart-like leaf galls on grape leaves
Plant Cell Defense

Plants protect themselves by releasing hydrogen peroxide to fight against fungal invasion. Another way is by secreting c..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics