Non-discriminatory Exclusion Testing as a Tool for the Early Detection of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Incursions

Proof of Proficiency of Decentralized Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Diagnostics in Germany

A proficiency test was performed to verify that the regional veterinary laboratories in Germany can provide reliable foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) diagnostics. Overall, 24 samples were to be analyzed for FMDV-specific nucleic acids by real-time RT-PCR, and 16 samples had to be tested by ELISA for antibodies against non-structural proteins of FMDV. For both methods, a range of dilutions of the original materials (inactivated FMDV vaccine or convalescent serum from infected animals, respectively) was prepared, and negative samples were included as well. All 23 participating laboratories were able to detect FMDV genome down to a dilution of 1:100,000 of the vaccine preparation. Even at a dilution of 1:1,000,000, FMDV genome was detected by more than half of the participants. With the antibody ELISA, all sera were correctly identified by all participating laboratories. No false-positive results were returned with either method. All participating laboratories were found to be fully proficient in FMDV diagnostics.

Field Observations and Genetic Characterization of Sheep-Associated Malignant Catarrhal Fever in Egypt, 2018

Ovine gammaherpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) causes a lethal disease in cattle and some wild ruminants called malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), which affects the epithelial and lymphoid tissues of the respiratory and digestive tracts and has an important impact on the livestock industry. In this study, MCF was diagnosed in 18 of 427 cattle from different sites in Egypt by its typical clinical signs, found in all 18 animals: corneal opacity, fever, erosions in the buccal cavity, lymphadenitis, and purulent nasal discharge. All affected cattle had been reared in contact with clinically inconspicuous sheep. Of the 18 clinically ill cattle, 13 succumbed to the disease, resulting in estimated morbidity and case fatality rates of 4.2% and 72.2%, respectively. Five samples collected from the affected cattle were positive for OvHV-2 by real-time PCR and were used for sequencing of an 832-bp fragment of the ORF27/gp48 gene. The ORF27 nucleotide sequence of all Egyptian samples was identical, but distinct from viruses found in other parts of Africa and the Mediterranean.