Signs Of Foot-and-mouth Disease Research Articles

Knowledge and behavior of cattle and sheep owners and herders regarding foot-and-mouth disease in Northern Algeria.

Background and Aim:Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been occurring in Algeria since 2014, when an outbreak was announced in Setif, a district in the eastern region of the country. The problem was apparently resolved with the help of vaccination. However, in 2015, 2016, and 2018, FMD recurred. The veterinary authorities and media educated breeders on how to recognize the clinical signs and how to report the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and recognition of FMD by farmers and breeders. Moreover, an assessment of the behavior of cattle and sheep owners and herders following FMD cases is examined.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to October 2018 to evaluate the perception of cattle and sheep owners and breeders regarding FMD in the Northern regions of Algeria, using questionnaires.Results:One hundred questionnaires were distributed; 71 were collected. Data showed that all the responders claimed to know about the disease, while more than half of the owners/herders claimed that they knew the clinical symptoms of FMD and mentioned fever, hypersalivation, lameness, and vesicles. Fewer than half (42%) (30/71) took some measures to prevent the disease, while more than half (58%) (41/71) did not take any measures in 2018. No one claimed to have reported the disease to authorities in 2018, while more than half had done so in 2014.Conclusion:It appears that experienced farmers recognized the clinical signs of FMD, while an academic background was not conclusively necessary for the identification of the clinical signs of the disease. Concerning the assessment of risk-associated behavior in the event of FMD occurrence, the responses of the breeders were not significantly different from those of risk-associated behaviors in the event of an epidemic. Farmers and breeders expressed similarity in terms of communicating the appearance of the disease in their livestock; the majority of them seemed to be aware of the importance of reporting the disease to local authorities, especially in 2014, when the disease first occurred. This behavior is encouraged by refund and technical assistance policies by the veterinary authorities, but in 2018, no disease was reported due to fear of slaughtering and economic loss.

The first molecular detection of Clostridium perfringens from pneumonic cases associated with foot and mouth disease in cattle and buffalo in Egypt.

Panting syndrome and respiratory infection have been recorded in complicated cases of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in cattle. However, investigations on the causative agents of respiratory disease in such cases are scarce. In this study, 30 animals (13 buffalo and 17 cattle) suffering from respiratory distress associated with signs of FMD were examined. Serum samples were collected and FMD infection was confirmed. Bacteriological examination of lungs from eight necropitized cases revealed the presence of C. perfringens. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) was performed on the positive samples followed by sequencing analysis. The alpha toxin gene (plc) of C. perfringens was identified in six cases. The present investigation highlights the role of clostridial infection as a complication of FMD in cattle and buffalo. This is the first report identifying the C. perfringens toxins from lung of animals with respiratory distress associated with FMD infection.

Electrocardiogram and serum cardiac biomarkers changes in FMD in cattle

This study was designed to evaluate serum and electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in cattle with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Thirty-two cows with clinical signs of FMD and 13 healthy cows were randomly enrolled. After blood sampling, ECG was performed on 23 of the 32 ill cows. Serum circulatory troponin I (cTnI), CPK, LDH, and CK-MB activities were determined in the patient and control groups. Arrhythmias including ventricular tachycardia (VT), sinus tachycardia (ST), atrial fibrillation (AF), and premature ventricular complex (PVC) were seen in 4, 4, 2, and 1 of the patients, respectively. The patients had higher cTnI levels than the control group (P = 0.05). A significant rise in cTnI was observed in patient cows with VT (0.86 ± 0.33; P < 0.01) and AF (0.22 ± 0.01 ng/mL; P < 0.05) in comparison with the control group (0.14 ± 0.04 ng/mL). The most significant finding of this study was the death of all of the cows with VT. It appears that the cause of death in the cows with VT was cardiac impairment, which was marked by serum cTnI elevation. It can be concluded that cows with VT have a grave prognosis. In some FMD cases with an increase in cTnI, AF was also observed, but with a fairly good prognosis.

Evidence of subclinical foot-and-mouth disease virus infection in young calves born from clinically recovered cow under natural condition.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically important, transboundary viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. It is known that an asymptomatic, persistent FMD virus (FMDV) infection may occur subsequent to acute or subclinical FMDV infection in adult ruminants. However, virus persistence in young calves has not been studied. In the current investigation, FMDV infection parameters were examined for calves born to FMD-clinically recovered cows (CRC), asymptomatic cows from infected herds (ASC) and cows from with no history of FMD (NHF). The study was conducted in natural condition after FMD outbreaks in two dairy herds in India. No calves described herein had any clinical signs of FMD. Six out of 12 calves born to CRC had detectable FMDV RNA in oesophageal-pharyngeal fluid consistent with asymptomatic FMDV infection. Three of the 12 calves of CRC group had seroreactivity against FMDV non-structural proteins. One calf had detectable FMDV RNA at two consecutive samplings at 2months apart. However, infectious FMDV was not isolated from any calf in the study. None of the calves in the ASC or NHF groups had any evidence of FMDV infection. Overall, these data are consistent with earlier report on calves having been infected in utero. Further investigation of FMDV persistence in calves under controlled conditions may lead to greater understanding of the viral pathogenesis.

Distribution of foot and mouth disease virus serotypes in cattle of Bangladesh

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection in cloven hoofed domestic and wild animals and endemic in many countries of the world including Bangladesh. Clinical investigation was carried out to identify natural cases of FMD and characteristics signs of FMD like salivation, ulceration in oral and pedal tissues and lameness was seen. The specific serotypes of FMD viruses involved in infected cattle were, therefore, identified using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Samples (N=97) from oral lesions was collected from infected cattle from seven divisions of Bangladesh during May to December, 2013. Viral RNA was extracted from the infected oral tissues and FMD virus specific uniplex RT-PCR was designed to detect FMD viruses. Multiplex RT-PCR was adapted to detect serotype specific amplicons. Out of 97 samples tested in uniplex and multiplex RT-PCR, 92 and 90 samples showed amplification reaction for FMD virus and viral serotypes respectively. Among the 90 FMD virus specific positive identification, single infectivity due to FMD viral Serotypes O, A and Asia 1 were seen in 56 (62.2%), 13 (14.4%) and 16 (17.8%) cases respectively. Three cattle (3.3%) were co-infected with FMD viral Serotypes O and Asia 1 and two (2.2%) with FMD viral Serotypes O and A. FMD viral serotype O was dominating all over the country followed by Asia1 and A. Cattle of Bangladesh were infected with FMD viral serotype O, A and Asia 1 alone or in combination. The RT-PCR protocols designed and adapted successfully detected FMD viruses and viral serotypes in a fraction of the time required for virus isolation and serological detection. These RT-PCR protocols can be used for rapid serotyping of FMD viruses from filed infectivity and selection of vaccine viruses.SAARC J. Agri., 15(1): 33-42 (2017)

Molecular Characterization, Hematological and Biochemical Studies on Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O in Buffaloes and Cows in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt

The present study aimed to evaluate the hematological and serum biochemical parameters in buffaloes and cows infected with foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus. Forty buffaloes and cows (6 months - 2 years old) were used. Twenty buffaloes and cows clinically healthy and were used as control, the other twenty buffaloes and cows showed characteristic clinical signs of FMD. Blood samples were collected and serum was separated from both groups to measure the hematological and biochemical parameters. Infected buffaloes and cows showed fever, anroxia, excessive foamy salivation and ulcer formation in the mouth. Compared to the control buffaloes, erythrocytic count (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) in the FMD infected buffaloes were significantly decreased, while mean corpascular hemoglobin (MCH) was significantly increased. In addition, significant increase in toltal leukocyte count (TLC), neutrophils, with a significant decrease in eosinophil and lymphocyte counts were observed. Moreover, cows infected with FMD virus showed no significant changes in the erythrogram, while, significant increases in TLC and neutrophils, with a significant decrease in eosinophil and lymphocyte counts were observed when compared with the control group. There were significant decreases in the levels of serum total proteins, albumin and globulin, while serum asprtate transferase (AST), creatinine phospho-kinase (CPK), glucose and cortisol levels were significantly increased in the infected animals. Tissue and saliva specimens were collected and analyzed by using universal primer using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). All the identified viruses were of serotype ‘O’. It is concluded that FMDV serotype ‘O’ is circulating among cows and buffaloes in the study area.

Clinical, Biochemical and Pathological Findings in Buffaloes with Foot-and-Mouth Disease

The aim of this study was to determine the possible variations in metabolic profile as well as the pathological findings in naturally infected buffaloes with foot and mouth disease (FMD) during the disease outbreak in 2012. A total number of 25 buffaloes, aged 1 – 5 years, were used in this study. Of these, 15 buffaloes showed characteristic clinical signs of FMD in the form of oral lesions and sudden deaths in young animals. The remaining 10 animals were used as controls. Blood samples were used to establish total white blood cells (WBCs), total red blood cells (RBCs), packed cell volume (PCV%) and haemoglobin concentration (Hb). Specimens from tongue, heart, liver, lung and kidneys were taken for histopathological examination. Hematological analysis revealed lymphocytic leukocytosis. Serum biochemical analysis showed significant increase of AST (P<0.01) and globulins (P<0.05). Venous blood gas analysis indicated metabolic acidosis in diseased buffaloes. From histopathological view, the FMD outbreak was characterized by vesicular stomatitis, interstitial myocarditis and pulmonary oedema.

Amplification and characterization of bull semen infected naturally with foot-and-mouth disease virus type Asia1 by RT-PCR

To investigate the security of semen biologically, 15 bull semen samples were collected (of which 5 exhibited clinical signs of Foot-and-mouth disease) and identified by RT-PCR and virus isolation. The results indicated that the semen of the infected bulls were contaminated by Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), but FMDV was not detected in semen samples from those bulls not showing clinical signs of Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). This is the first report of the presence of FMDV in bull semen due to natural infection in China. The analysis of the partial sequence of the VP1 gene showed that the virus strain isolated from semen has 97.9% identity with the virus isolated from vesicular liquid of infected bulls showing typical signs of FMD and belonged to the same gene sub-group.