1 FMD is:
- a virus disease
- dangerous to all animals with cloven hooves.

2 The signs include:
- drooling
- blisters
- fever and lameness.

3 By:
- breathing in air with the virus
- eating food or drink with the virus.
At service (rarely).

4 You cannot treat FMD.
You can only prevent and control it.
 

Husbandry Unit 10.3: 

Technical Notes

Note: Numbers in brackets refer to illustrations in the Extension Materials.

 Introduction  (5-8)

This disease spreads very quickly and outbreaks normally include rapid infection not only of most animals in a herd, but also of more herds in a region.  The death rate in adult animals is normally low, but big losses occur from the following: lack of weight gain, reduced milk yield and mastitis, and general un-thriftiness.
 

The disease is caused by a virus (Foot and Mouth Disease Virus or FMD Virus).  Under certain climatic conditions the virus can survive for a long time outside the body and remain infective.

Affected animals (11-12)

All cloven-hooved animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer and elephants (but not horses) are affected by the disease.  The disease is not dangerous to people.
 

Infected animals will show drooling, vesicles on the nose and in the mouth, and between the claws as the first signs of disease, normally 1-15 days (average 2-6 days) after exposure to the virus.

The drooling, with long ropes of stringy saliva hanging from the mouth, is a typical sign.  Animals consume only liquids or stop eating and drinking completely, they shiver and have high fever. Salivation and lameness, due to vesicles in the mouth and between the claws, are evident.  By opening the mouth vesicles may be seen on tongue, palate and other places - or the vesicles have ruptured and left open, bleeding wounds.  The fluid contents of the vesicles are highly infective.  The ulcers normally heal in 1-2 weeks.

The udder may be affected, with vesicles on the teats and on the udder itself.  Infected milk yielding animals show a rapidly decreasing milk production.  Young animals may be infected by suckling milk from such cows.

If the animal recovers from disease it normally shows aftermath in the form of hoof deformities, mastitis and decreased milk production and unthriftiness (no weight gain).  Abortion and infertility may also be seen after recovery from acute disease.

Disease normally lasts 2-3 weeks in the animal, and goes through the herd in about 1-3 months.  Although only a few animals die, losses from reduced production during the acute outbreak, and from the diseases following later, are normally large.
 

14 Your cow takes only liquid food or stops eating.

15 Blisters appear:
- on the nose and in the mouth.
- on the teats
- between the claws.
The blisters break and can become bleeding ulcers.
They usually heal in 1-2 weeks.
 

Normally the disease goes from animal to animal through the air or by direct contact with virus containing secretions (for instance from ruptured vesicles).  Transmission by wind over many kilometres is possible.

Infected pigs excrete large amounts of virus and are considered extremely infectious.

Infected animals, that still did not show any signs of disease, as well as animals that have recovered from disease, may contain and excrete the virus.

Passive transmission by other animals and bedding, by people, vehicles, tools etc is common.

Transmission through milk and meat is highly possible, and pasteurization does not necessarily destroy the virus.  Pigs being fed virus-containing meat can easily acquire the disease and readily infect other animals - for instance cattle.

Transmission by A.I. (infected semen) is possible, but uncommon.
 

17 Cows with FMD produce little milk.
 

No real cure against FMD exists.  As the disease develops treatment may be undertaken to alleviate the condition, such as local treatment of wounds and antibiotic treatment against further bacterial infection.

Diagnosis (27)

There are other diseases (for instance Vesicular Stomatitis) which cause vesicle formation in the mouth and may be confused with FMD.  A safe diagnosis can be made by laboratory examination of material from acutely sick animals.
 

25 You cannot cure FMD. You can only:
- clean and disinfect the ulcers and open wounds

27 Other diseases also cause ulcers in the mouth.
Your vet can identify FMD by laboratory tests.

Vaccination is possible and normally carried out on a national (or regional) level.  As a rule, immunity after vaccination lasts 6 months.  (28)

Many different strains of virus mean that even vaccinated animals may get FMD, because not all strains of virus may be covered by the vaccine used.  (29)

Any suspicion of FMD should result in prompt isolation measures - isolation of infected animal(s) within the herd and especially isolation of the herd as a whole from other herds.  Not only should animals from infected herds not be moved, but people, vehicles etc should stay away from other cattle herds and make sure that they only leave the infected herd after proper cleaning and disinfection of themselves, their clothes, tools, and vehicles etc. (30-33)
 

28 The extension worker can vaccinate your animals.

This usually protects your animals for about 6 months
 

Your animals may still get FMD after vaccination

Follow the directions on the labels and ask your extension worker for advice.
 

You may have to slaughter infected animals.

 

Cause

Virus

(9-10)

Susceptible animals

1 Animals with cloven hooves	(11)
2 Human beings	(12)

Signs

1 Drooling	(13)
2 Low appetite	(14)
3 Blisters	(15)
4 Fever and lameness	(16)
5 Low milk production	(17)

Transmission

By contact with the virus:
1 from blisters	(18)
2 vehicles and equipment	(19)
3 milk and meat	(20)
4 faeces	(21)
5 semen	(22)
6 wind	(23)
Animals with no signs of FMD can pass on the virus	(24)

Diagnosis

Laboratory tests

(27)

Treatment

No cure but:
1 disinfection	(25)
2 antibiotics	(26)

Prevention and control

1 Vaccination	(28-29)
2 Isolation	(30-33)
3 Disinfection	(34-35)
4 Burning and burial	(36)
5 Consult extension worker on other measures and slaughtering	(37)