Infestation is the state of being invaded or overrun by
pests
PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...
or
parasites. It can also refer to the actual organisms living on or within a
host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
* Michel Host ...
.
Terminology
In general, the term "infestation" refers to
parasitic diseases caused by
animals such as
arthropods (i.e.
mites,
ticks, and
lice
Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...
) and
worms, but excluding (except) conditions caused by
protozoa
Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
,
fungi,
bacteria, and
viruses,
which are called
infections.
External and internal
Infestations can be classified as either external or internal with regards to the parasites' location in relation to the host.
External or
ectoparasitic infestation is a condition in which organisms live primarily on the surface of the host (though
porocephaliasis can penetrate viscerally) and includes those involving
mites
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
,
ticks,
head lice and
bed bugs
Bed bugs are insects from the genus ''Cimex'' that feed on blood, usually at night. Their bites can result in a number of health impacts including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. Bed bug bites may lead to skin changes ...
.
An internal (or
endoparasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...
) infestation is a condition in which organisms live within the host and includes those involving worms (though
swimmer's itch stays near the surface).
Medically, the term "infestation" is often reserved only for external ectoparasitic infestations
while the term ''
infection'' refers to internal endoparasitic conditions.
References
External links
Introduction to Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation as a Fumigant Alternative
New technique predicts risk of plant disease and infestation
{{Arthropod infestations
Pests (organism)
de:Entwesung