Foot and Mouth Disease in Adama and Boset districts, East Shewa zone, Ethiopia: Seroprevalence and Virus serotyping

Abstract

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is consistently ranked as the most economically important viral disease, and ranks among the top five important livestock diseases in Ethiopia. The status of FMD is barrier for the international trade of livestock and livestock products; thus, continuous epidemiological studies are necessary to develop efficient control strategies. This study determined the seroprevalence of FMD, associated risk factors for its occurrence, and FMD serotypes in the Adama and Boset districts of the East Shewa zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 305 blood samples were randomly collected from cattle and subjected to a 3ABC enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies against non-structural proteins of FMD virus (FMDV) and Solid-Phase Competitive ELISA for FMDV serotype identification. Evaluation of the associated risk factors was conducted using a multivariable logistic regression model. In this study, an overall seroprevalence of 28.2% (95% CI: 25.7% - 36.2%) was recorded. The risk of being FMD positive was significantly higher in exotic crossbreds [38.60%; OR= 2.23 (95% CI: 1.34 – 3.71); p<0.001] as compared to local breeds. The seroprevalence of FMD was significantly higher in large herd sizes [54.41%; OR=4.2 (95%CI: 3.05 - 15.87), P < 0.001] compared to medium and small herd sizes. Three FMD serotypes namely serotype O, A, and SAT-2 were identified. Besides, mixed serotypes O and A, serotypes O and SAT-2, serotypes A and SAT-2, and serotypes A, O, and SAT-2 were recorded. By considering the detection of multiple serotypes of the FMDV and the lack of cross-protection among the serotypes, the use of polyvalent FMD vaccine against the serotypes of the virus circulating under field conditions is highly recommended.