FMD-Foot and Mouth Disease in Cattle

Foot and Mouth Disease

FMD is an economically important disease that affects livestock production severely.

It is a highly transmissible disease caused by Aphthovirus that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, swine, sheep and goats.

There are seven strains O, A, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3 and ASIA 1 cause FMD in animals. Each strain needs a specific vaccine to provide immunity to a vaccinated animal.

Etiology

• Transmission occurs highly by ruptured vesicles
• Respiratory secretions
• Milk
• Semen
• Contaminated feed, water
• Ingestion or inhalation from infected animals
• Sometimes through mechanical vectors

Morbidity 100% and mortality in adults is low but higher in young calves due to multifocal myocarditis(tiger heart).

Clinical Signs

• Vesicles formation in Lips, gums, tongue, dental pad, muzzle, coronet bands(above hooves), interdigital cleft and teats. (Approximately after 10 days of vesicles formation, they may coalesce cause erosion)
• Lameness due to ruptured vesicles in hooves
• Fever
• Hypersalivation or Ropy salivation
• Serous nasal discharge
• Starvation
• Drop-in milk production.The healthy calves, piglets were affected

Large animals become carriers for 2-3 years and small animals 4 to 6 months

Erosion on nose

Nasal Discharge and Salivation

Diagnosis

• RT-PCR
• Serological test
  • Complement Fixation Test (CFT)
  • Virus isolation
  • ELISA
  • Fluorescent Antibody Test (FAT)
  • Serum neutralization test
  • Enzyme-linked immuno-electro blot assay

Differential Diagnosis

• Vesicular stomatitis in Cattle
• Bluetongue, Contagious ecthyma in Goat and Sheep
• Vesicular exanthema and Swine vesicular disease in swine

Treatment

1. No specific treatment for infected animals. Control the disease by culling infected animals.

2. Vaccination is the only way to prevent FMD. Vaccinate the animals above 4 month age and every 6 month

3. Treat with antibiotics to reduce the secondary bacterial infections

4. Use disinfectants like Sodium hydroxide, Sodium carbonate (soda ash) to disinfect the premises, equipment etc

Hairy Panters

Some recovered animals show dull dry hair coat or matted hair coat and dyspnea, called Heat Intolerance Syndrome( Hairy Panters). These animals were not suitable for production and transportation.