What Is Foot-and-Mouth Disease? Symptoms, Human Transmission and a New Outbreak in Turkey

What Is Foot-and-Mouth Disease?

Foot-and-mouth disease is a serious infectious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, goats and pigs. Caused by the foot-and-mouth disease virus, it is highly contagious and can spread between animals within hours. Infection can spread through an entire herd within 48 hours.

In Turkish, “şap” refers to sores on animals’ mouths, noses and feet. The term “şap hastalığı” therefore refers to the sores among the disease’s symptoms. The word “şap” also means “to burn” in old Turkish, and the disease’s effects may be thought to produce a burning sensation around animals’ mouths and noses.

Key Facts

• Causative agent: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV), genus Aphthovirus, family Picornaviridae.
• Hosts: Cloven-hoofed animals, including ruminants and pigs.
• Transmission routes: Multiple routes include direct contact, contaminated objects, aerosols, consumption of unprocessed animal products, environmental exposure and semen.
• Incubation period: 2-14 days.
• Morbidity and mortality: Highly contagious in unvaccinated or previously uninfected animals. Death is rare in adults, but mortality in young animals can reach 20%.
• Zoonotic potential (transmission to humans): Not zoonotic / extremely rare.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms include fever, aphthous-like lesions, swelling and sores around the mouth, nose and feet. Foot-and-mouth disease seriously threatens animal health and welfare and poses substantial risks to agriculture and economic activity.

Worldwide Distribution

Foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia and South America. “Endemic” means a disease or infection is continually present in a particular region or population. Outbreaks have also occurred in parts of Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and England.

Preventable by Vaccination, but New Serotypes Develop

Foot-and-mouth disease is vaccine-preventable. However, difficulties producing vaccines or other limitations, such as bans on animal movement, mean it can remain a problem in some countries. Vaccination also cannot always be guaranteed effective because the virus’s serotypes continually change through mutation.

Is There a Treatment?

There is no specific or definitive treatment for foot-and-mouth disease. Management involves supportive care and symptom treatment. Recovery varies with the animal’s age, general health and disease severity. Painkillers, fever-reducing drugs and anti-inflammatory medicines may relieve symptoms.

Because there is no particularly effective treatment, control depends on vaccination, close veterinary surveillance and disease detection.

A Concerning Outbreak in Turkey

A new outbreak began in Turkey in March 2023. Samples were sent and analyzed under the coordination of the European Union Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD). One sample contained the SAT-2 serotype, not previously detected in Turkey. The ministry rapidly began work on producing a vaccine against it and contacted relevant institutions to strengthen border surveillance and road checks. Measures and cordon quarantine are currently in place at 8 affected farms. The World Organisation for Animal Health has been notified. The ministry is rapidly working to vaccinate the entire cattle population.

Which Virus Causes Foot-and-Mouth Disease?

Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV), a picornavirus containing RNA. This highly contagious virus infects a wide range of grazing animals. FMDV has seven serotypes, each with distinct antigenic properties and specific vaccines. Its ability to mutate rapidly requires vaccines to be continually updated and appropriately administered.

Can Foot-and-Mouth Disease Spread to Humans?

The foot-and-mouth disease virus infects only farm animals and does not infect humans. People can, however, carry it and contribute to transmission between animals. Those in contact with animals should therefore follow good hygiene, wash their hands, wear gloves and change them frequently. Other viruses with similarities in humans—for example, “aphtoviruses” coincidentally sharing the same name—may also produce misleading results in some tests. Care is therefore needed when detecting foot-and-mouth disease, and there is no risk of human transmission.

A Brief History of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccines

The first known vaccines were developed independently in 1898 by German bacteriologist August von Wassermann and British veterinarian Sir Frederick William Fitzsimons. These are called inactivated vaccines, using killed foot-and-mouth disease virus rather than live virus.

The first foot-and-mouth vaccine studies in Turkey began in the 1920s. The disease was widespread there and caused major livestock losses, particularly in border regions. Vaccines were initially imported, with domestic production beginning in later years. Today, the Turkish state produces foot-and-mouth vaccines, and cattle are vaccinated regularly.