Abattoir-Based Surveillance as a Strategy for Monitoring Foot- and-Mouth Disease

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, with significant economic and production impacts worldwide. The causative agent, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Aphthovirus (family Picornaviridae), comprising seven immunologically distinct serotypes (O, A, C, Asial, SAT۱-۳) with multiple subtypes. FMDV transmission occurs via direct contact, aerosols, contaminated fomites, and mechanical carriers, while viral replication involves initial infection of the pharyngeal and pulmonary epithelium, followed by systemic spread and, in some cases, persistent nasopharyngeal carriage. Clinically, infected animals develop fever, hypersalivation, lameness, and vesicular lesions on the oral cavity, feet, and teats, with severe cases, especially in calves, resulting in myocarditis ("tiger heart") and mortality. Early detection of circulating FMDV strains is essential for effective control and prevention of outbreaks. Slaughterhouse-based surveillance represents a critical sentinel approach, as animals from diverse geographic and production backgrounds converge at these facilities. In this study, routine ante- and post-mortem inspections at a commercial slaughterhouse identified clinical and subclinical FMD infections, including vesicular lesions and myocarditis. Our findings demonstrate that systematic inspections can capture a substantial portion of the genetic diversity of circulating FMDVs and provide timely information on emerging viral variants, in some instances detecting novel strains several months prior to their identification through passive outbreak reporting. These results underscore the importance of integrating slaughterhouse-based surveillance into national FMD control programs as a cost-effective strategy for early warning, rapid response, and mitigation of economic losses. Routine inspections in abattoirs, combined with molecular and serological analyses, offer a practical and efficient tool for monitoring FMD in endemic regions and supporting evidence-based decision-making in animal health management.

کلیدواژه ها:

Foot-and-mouth disease ، Myocarditis (tiger heart) disease (FMD) ، Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) ، Vesicular