American Livestock Breeds Conservancy News

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March 30, 2001

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Based on information found on the website maintained by the United Kingdom Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, compiled by staff from the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious viral disease affecting cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. Some wild animals are also susceptible. Infection in humans is very rare. The disease affects the mouth or the feet of the animal causing watery blisters. There are 7 main types of virus, and many subtypes subject to rapid mutation. As with the virus of the common cold this characteristic of the Foot and Mouth virus makes vaccination problematic as a method of control. All forms of the virus produce similar symptoms including fever, dullness, lack of appetite, shivering, reduced milk yield and sore teats, slobbering, tenderness of feet, or lameness.

Animals infected with FMD begin excreting the virus a few days before signs of the disease develop. FMD is spread by direct or indirect contact with infected animals. It can be spread mechanically by the movement of animals, persons, vehicles and other things which have been contaminated by the virus. The disease is also easily airborne, and can travel considerable distance on prevailing winds. Raw and cured meat from the carcass of an infected animal can transmit the virus. In the past, outbreaks of the disease in Great Britain have been linked to the importation of infected meat and meat products.

The virus can be destroyed by heat, low humidity, or certain disinfectants, but it may remain active in the carcass of an infected animal and on contaminated objects.

The disease is rarely fatal, except in the case of very young animals, which may die without showing any symptoms. All affected animals lose condition and secondary bacterial infections may prolong convalescence. The most serious effects of the disease however are seen in dairy cattle. Loss of milk yield, abortion, sterility, chronic mastitis, and chronic lameness are commonplace.

There is no cure for the disease. It usually runs its course in two or three weeks after which the majority of animals recover naturally. The justification of the slaughter policy employed in the European Union is that widespread disease throughout the country, and its establishment in wildlife, would be economically disastrous.

FMD is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and most of South America, with sporadic outbreaks in disease-free areas. Countries affected by FMD in the past twelve months include Brazil, Butan, Columbia, Egypt, European Union, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Malawi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Taipei, Tajikstan, Uruguay and Zambia. The last major outbreak of the disease in the European Union was in Greece last year, and in the U.S. in 1929.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is greatly concerned, however, about the potential for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and other contagious diseases to come ashore and threaten our own breeds, rare and otherwise. In anticipation of such a disaster, ALBC established a rare breeds gene bank more than a decade ago. More that fifteen breeds of rare cattle, two breeds of rare swine, and one each of rare goat and sheep breeds are currently saved in the gene bank. The threat of Foot-and-Mouth Disease increases the value of what we have saved, and the urgency to increase the genetic lines sheltered in the bank. To increase this insurance for our rare breed requires your immediate help. Your contribution to the expansion of the ALBC Gene Bank is critical. Checks may be sent to ALBC-FMD, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

The following resources can provide additional information about the disease and its management. When available, mail and telephone contact information is provided. Often, however, only a web address is available. Most public libraries now provide web access as one of their many services for those without home-based internet access.

BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/uk/2001/foot_and_mouth/

The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/footandmouth/

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: www.ncagr.com/vet/

Texas Animal Health Commission: http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/

The United Kingdom Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food: http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/fmd/default.htm

USDA: http://www.usda.gov/special/fmd/fmd.html, http://www.usda.gov/special/fmd/fmd.html, http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/fmd/. For questions regarding FMD call 800-601-9327, or, outside the U.S. 01-301-734-9257. Push #2 for FMD

World Organization for Animal Health: http://www.oie.int/eng/maladies/fiches/A_A010.HTM

RTE, an Irish on-line news source that shows the suspected path of the outbreak. Other pages provide more information on FMD: http://www.rte.ie/footandmouth/path.html