Bovine Foot-and-Mouth-Disease risk factors in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: A hospital-based case-control study was undertaken to identify the risk factors for bovine Foot-and-Mouth-Disease (FMD) in the Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Methods: Two hundred and eighteen FMD cases diagnosed between 2009 and 2018 at the Bangladesh Agricultural University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (BAUVTH) were selected and three controls per case were then selected from BAUVTH (n=872). Data on age, breed, gender, location, and time of presentation were used for the analysis. A multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors. Location was considered random intercept, demographic variables, and season as fixed effects. Results: The lowest (10) and highest (43) cases were recorded in 2014 and 2015, respectively. There was a decreasing trend (τ = -0.07) in FMD occurrence but was inconsistent and statistically insignificant (P=0.85). The odds FMD was significantly higher in cattle aged >1–3 years (odds ratio (OR) 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5; 3.6) and >3–8 years (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.3; 3.0) compared to those aged ≤ 1years. Indigenous cattle (OR 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1; 2.8) were at higher risk of being an FMD case than Shahiwal cross. In addition FMD cases were significantly higher in pre-monsoon (OR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.3; 2.9) and winter (OR 2.2; 95% CI: 1.3; 3.7) than post-monsoon season. Conclusion: Indigenous cattle aged between >1 year to 8 years should be prioritized for FMD vaccination, especially before pre-monsoon and winter seasons to prevent future FMD outbreaks and control FMD in Bangladesh.