Seromonitoring, Serotyping and Histopathology of Foot and Mouth Disease in Mithun (Bos Frontalis) in the Northeastern Hilly Terrain of India

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Frequent FMD outbreaks have been one of the major challenges faced by the farmers and breeders of Mithun animals in Nagaland, owing to a lack of adequate knowledge and proper vaccination programs for the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the extent of FMD serotype O virus infection, which is the most common serotype causing FMD specifically in the Mithun population in the northeastern state of Nagaland, India. In-vitro screening of serotype O virus antibodies in the blood serum of the Mithun population was carried out by ELISA kit. A total of 213 blood samples of Mithun animals were collected and screened where 67% of the samples tested were found to be positive and only 32% of the samples were found to be negative for the virus. All the samples collected from the neighbouring states of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were found to be negative for the antibodies against the serotype O virus. Through m-RT PCR, O serotype was detected from all the clinically affected animals from the cells of the tongue epithelium, blood, and saliva of animals. During the histopathological studies, in the pericardium, severe interstitial myocarditis and liver showed focal areas of coagulative necrosis, focal necrosis, and pulmonary oedema were prominent and ballooning degeneration of epithelium in the tongue was evident in all cases. In conclusion, we were able to show the prevalence of FMDV serotype O antibodies in a very high percentage of the Mithun population that were tested along with pathological alterations, which should be addressed immediately with proper vaccination programs and by informing and educating the farmers and breeders about the disease before an outbreak occurs.