Maximum tension at the seams (and the heart) of the market
The pig price in Spain is well above the rest of the European countries. The reality is that this price is only possible at the expense of negative margins in the slaughterhouses.
Foot-and-mouth disease
Foot-and-mouth disease is one of the most important vesicular diseases.
News
Description
There are four swine vesicular diseases that are not clinically differentiated: foot and mouth disease, vesicular disease, vesicular exanthema, and vesicular stomatitis.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is considered to be the most contagious livestock disease and the most significant restriction factor regarding international trade of animals and animal products. Essentially, all cloven-hoofed species are susceptible.
Foot-and-mouth disease belongs to the Picornaviridae virus family of which there are more than 60 strains classified into seven serotypes.
All ages
- High fever.
- Lameness.
- Loss of appetite
- Depression.
- In nursing piglets sudden death is common due to heart failure.
- Vesicles up to 30 mm in diameter on the coronary bands, mouth, soft tissues of the legs and around the hoof. These vesicles can also be present on lactating sows’ teats.
- Salivation and chewing movements.
- During the first 24 hours, many of the vesicles burst, leaving erosive lesions.
- If pigs are not slaughtered, some can completely lose their hoofs, and sows can abort due to the fever.
- There can be an increase in nursing pig mortality, which is usually the first sign.
Serological and PCR tests are needed. Foot-and-mouth disease does not differentiate clinically from the rest of the vesicular diseases. Laboratory samples must include blood, vesicular tissue and fluid, when possible.
There is no treatment. There are some effective vaccines for specific serotypes.
- Asia 1
- South Africa Type 1 (SAT 3)
- South Africa Type 1 (SAT 2)
- South Africa Type 1 (TSS 1)
- C
- A
- O
It should be noted that there is no cross-protection between serotypes.
Foot and mouth disease affects all cloven-hoofed animals, both domestic and wild, and thus affects different species of bovines, ovines, goats, and suids. This large group includes pigs and wild boars, cattle, sheep and mouflons, goats, gazelles, antelopes, buffalo, and bison. Camelids (camels, dromedaries, llamas, and vicunas) are less susceptible to contracting the disease.
The incubation period for foot and mouth disease is 2 to 14 days, the most common being 2 to 5 days. In small ruminants (sheep and goats), the maximum period may be 21 days.
The main symptoms are: Fever, loss of appetite, prostration, lameness, ptyalism and sialorrhea (excessive salivation and difficulty keeping saliva in the mouth) agalactia, abortions; more evident in pigs and cattle and less evident in small ruminants.
The most characteristic lesions are vesicles on the tongue, gums, buccal mucosa, hard and soft palate, lips, nostrils, snout, coronary ridge, teats, udders, and interdigital space.
For more information: https://www.pig333.com/pig-diseases/foot-and-mouth-disease_43
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Affectation map
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (2025) – WAHIS periodical extraction of early warning outbreak data. Retrieved on 12/2/2025. Data extracted by 333 Corporate 1998, SL. WOAH bears no responsibility for the integrity or accuracy of the data contained herein, not limited to: any deletion, manipulation, or reformatting of data that may have occurred beyond its control.
Resources
OTHER SOURCES
What you need to know about Foot and Mouth Disease. FAO
Video explaining the main transmission routes and clinical signs of the disease.
Foot and Mouth Disease Pocket Guide. USDA-APHIS
More than 60 pictures with lesions caused by foot and mouth disease virus after an experimental infection, both in domestic and wild pigs.
Foot and Mouth Disease Technical Disease Card. World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)
Updated information from WOAH about the disease.
Abstracts
Importance of considering transmission of FMD during the incubation phase
The findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering transmission of FMD during the incubation phase in modeling and response planning.
Adenovirus-vectored vaccine confers protection against FMDV O1 Manisa in swine
Recombinant Ad5-O1Man is an effective, safe and cross-reacting vaccine that could potentially be used preventively and in outbreak situations, to control FMDV O Mya-98 lineage in swine.
Detection of genome, antigen, and antibodies in oral fluids from pigs infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus
These results further demonstrated the potential use of oral fluids for detecting FMDV genome, live virus, and viral antigens.
Quantifying the Value of Perfect Information in Emergency Vaccination Campaigns
This work could inform contingency planning that would lead to cost savings in the event of a future FMD outbreak and could also be applied to other infectious diseases.
Detection of ASF, CSF, and FMD viruses in swine oral fluids by multiplex reverse transcription RT-PCR
Equivalent results were observed in 4 independent studies and demonstrate the feasibility of oral fluids and mRT-qPCR for surveillance of ASF, CSF, and FMD in swine populations.
Modeling the impact of vaccination control strategies on a foot and mouth disease outbreak in the Central United States.
The results of this study will provide information about the impacts of disease control protocols which may be useful in choosing the optimal control methods to meet the goals of rapid effective control and eradication.