Animal Husbandry WAEC

Economic Importance Of Parasites

Resumen

A goat that is never once diagnosed with a disease can still quietly cost its owner more than a sick one. A worm burden that never kills anything slows growth, thins milk yield, and scars a hide that would otherwise fetch a premium price, week after week, without a single dramatic symptom to give it away. Parasites are the patient thief of animal production, and the only way to see how much they steal is to put a naira figure on the theft.

In this lesson you will learn to price out what a parasite burden actually costs: the weight gain it takes off an animal, the milk or eggs it removes from output, the dewormers and acaricides a farmer must keep buying to hold it back, and the hide or carcass value it strips away at sale. You will then scale that farm-level arithmetic up to see why parasites are treated as a threat to Nigeria's food security and export earnings, not just to one herd.

Objetivos

  1. Explain the economic importance of parasites to animal production
  2. State the losses caused by parasites to farm animals
  3. Explain the effect of parasites on the quality of animal products
  4. Explain the effect of parasites on national food security
  5. Suggest ways of minimising the economic impact of parasites

Nota de la lección

A sheep farmer near Gusau checks his flock every morning, and every animal is alive and walking. He assumes all is well. What he cannot see, because it produces no dead body and no obvious wound, is that a worm burden has been quietly cutting his lambs' weekly weight gain for two months. Parasites rarely announce their economic cost. A farmer who cannot put a naira figure on that cost will always under-invest in stopping it.

Evaluación de la lección

Felicitaciones por completar la lección del Economic Importance Of Parasites. Ahora que has explorado el conceptos e ideas clave, es hora de poner a prueba tus conocimientos. Esta sección ofrece una variedad de prácticas Preguntas diseñadas para reforzar su comprensión y ayudarle a evaluar su comprensión del material.

Te encontrarás con una variedad de tipos de preguntas, incluyendo preguntas de opción múltiple, preguntas de respuesta corta y preguntas de ensayo. Cada pregunta está cuidadosamente diseñada para evaluar diferentes aspectos de tu conocimiento y habilidades de pensamiento crítico.

Utiliza esta sección de evaluación como una oportunidad para reforzar tu comprensión del tema e identificar cualquier área en la que puedas necesitar un estudio adicional. No te desanimes por los desafíos que encuentres; en su lugar, míralos como oportunidades para el crecimiento y la mejora.

  1. A dewormed group of animals converts feed to weight gain more efficiently than a worm-infested group on the same ration. This is best described as a loss in: A. Product downgrading B. Feed conversion efficiency C. Carcass condemnation D. Fertility Answer: B
  2. A hide scarred by tick and mange damage grades lower and sells for less than an undamaged hide of the same size. This economic effect of parasites is best described as: A. Reduced weight gain B. Product downgrading C. Reduced milk yield D. Treatment cost Answer: B
  3. A flock of 25 sheep gains 3.0 kg per week when healthy but only 1.8 kg per week under a heavy worm burden. If live weight sells at 1,500 naira per kg, what is the naira value of ONE week's weight-gain loss for the whole flock? A. 18,000 naira B. 30,000 naira C. 45,000 naira D. 75,000 naira Answer: C
  4. Which of the following is a recurring economic cost of parasite control, rather than a loss caused directly by the parasite itself? A. Reduced egg output B. Carcass condemnation C. Money spent on dewormers and acaricides D. Hide downgrading Answer: C
  5. In Nigeria, a blood parasite spread by the tsetse fly has made large areas of grazing land in the Middle Belt unsuitable for many cattle breeds. This parasite disease is: A. Coccidiosis B. Trypanosomiasis C. Fascioliasis D. Newcastle disease Answer: B

Preguntas Anteriores

¿Te preguntas cómo son las preguntas anteriores sobre este tema? Aquí tienes una serie de preguntas sobre Economic Importance Of Parasites de años anteriores.

Pregunta 1 Informe

(a) Stat three ways in which specimen A (Tapeworm) is of economic importance.

(b) State four ways of controlling specimen A

(c) List three nutrients contained in specimen B (Fish meal)

(d) Name two ectoparasites that could infest the farm animal from which specimen C (Hide of cattle) was obtained.

(e) Mention three uses of specimen C