Epidemiological Patterns of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Worldwide

Abstract

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a clinical syndrome in animals due to FMD virus that exists in seven serotypes, whereby recovery from one sero-type does not confer immunity against the other six. So when considering intervention strategies in endemic settings, it is important to take account of the characteristics of the different serotypes in different ecological systems. FMD serotypes are not uniformly distributed in the regions of the world where the disease still occurs. For example, the cumulative incidence of FMD serotypes show that six of the seven serotypes of FMD (O, A, C, SAT-1, SAT-2, SAT-3) have occurred in Africa, while Asia contends with four sero-types (O, A, C, Asia-1), and South America with only three (O, A, C). Periodically there have been incursions of Types SAT-1 and SAT-2 from Africa into the Middle East. This paper describes the global dynamics for the seven sero-types and attempts to define FMD epidemiological clusters in the different regions of the world. These have been described on a continent by continent basis. The review has reaffirmed that the movement of infected animals is the most important factor in the spread of FMD within the endemically infected regions. It also shows that the eco-system based approach for defining the epidemiological patterns of FMD in endemic, which was originally described in South America, can apply readily to other parts of the world. It is proposed that any coordinated regional or global strategy for FMD control should be based on a sound epidemiological assessment of the incidence and distribution of FMD, identifying risk sources as either primary or secondary endemic eco-systems.

African swine fever: how can global spread be prevented?

“…Large numbers of live animal movements and related products at the regional level have been reported to occur specifically along the southern Chinese borders (Rweyemamu et al 2008), and these could lead to the spread of ASF within the region. The extensive free-ranging pig husbandry systems in large parts of Asia would complicate the implementation of control measures.…”

Foot-and-mouth disease virus strains and examination of exposure factors associated with seropositivity of cattle herds in Nigeria during 2007–2009

“…Although FMD is reported worldwide, it is particularly endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, with widespread outbreaks of clinical disease occurring almost yearly Rweyemamu et al, 2008). In sub-Saharan Africa, two cycles of FMD occur: one where the virus circulates between wildlife and domestic animals and the other where the virus spreads among domestic animals .…”

Intra-serotype SAT2 chimeric foot-and-mouth disease vaccine protects cattle against FMDV challenge

“…Although mortality rates are generally low, morbidity is high and in the event that an FMD outbreak occurs, it results in severe economic losses to the livestock industry, especially in FMD-free regions of the world [1][2][3]. The disease is widely distributed in the developing world, in particular Africa, Asia and South America [2,4]. In these regions, livestock farming forms the backbone of rural economies that supports approximately 70% of the world's poor [5].…”