Foot-and-mouth disease affects:

**The reasoning** Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a **highly contagious viral infection** that specifically targets **cloven-hoofed animals** — animals with split hooves like cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. The disease gets its name from the painful blisters it causes in the **mouth** and on the **feet** of infected animals, making them drool excessively and limp. Cattle are the most economically significant victims in Nigeria's livestock industry. The virus doesn't affect humans, birds, plants, or fish because they lack the specific cellular receptors the virus needs to enter and replicate. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **Birds (A)** might seem right if you're thinking of *any* livestock disease, but birds get different diseases like Newcastle disease or fowl pox. - **Plants (C)** could confuse you if you mix up animal diseases with plant diseases (like blight or mosaic virus). - **Fish (D)** is a distractor for those not paying attention to the "foot-and-mouth" clue — fish obviously have neither! **Quick takeaway** **"Foot-and-mouth = hoofed animals (cattle, goats, pigs)"** — the name literally describes where the blisters appear!