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Foot-and-mouth disease virus dynamics in border areas of Pakistan with Afghanistan

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Abstract

Background

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease that impacts cloven-hoofed animals globally. The illegal trade of livestock between the border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan can contribute to the spread of this disease. This study focuses on investigating the outbreaks of FMD that occurred in this area from June 2020 to May 2021.

Methods

Results

A total of 233 epithelial tissue samples were collected, and 77% were found positive for FMDV through an antigen-detection by ELISA and molecular conformation through RT-PCR. The study found three serotypes of FMDV dominating in the border area of Pakistan with Afghanistan: O, A, and Asia-1. The outbreak activity was peaked between August/September followed by July/October 2020. Phylogenetic analysis conducted using the VP1 region sequence showed that serotype O isolates belonged to the Middle East-South Asia (ME-SA) topotype, PanAsia-2 lineage, and ANT-10 sub-lineage, while serotype Asia-1 isolates belonged to a novel lineage BD-18.The highest prevalence of serotype O of FMDV was found in cattle and buffalo of 1–2 year age group, while the highest outbreak ratio of serotype O was recorded in goats of 0–1 year age group and sheep of > 2 year age group. The serotype O was more prevalent in male than female sheep. The type A was more prevalent in females of sheep and goats than their corresponding males. The serotype Asia-1 was more prevalent in females of cattle and sheep than their corresponding males. The outbreak epidemiology of FMD varied significantly between various regions, months of study, animal species, age groups, and gender.

Conclusions

The study found that FMD outbreaks in the border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan were diverse and complicated, and that different types of FMDV were circulating. The study recommended effective actions to stop FMD transmission in this area.

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Data availability

The data used in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

First author is highly thankful to the field veterinarians, and local administration for their help, and support in sample collection process. Animal owners are also acknowledged for their cooperation and kind permission for sample collection. Authors are also very thankful to FAO for providing financial and technical support to successfully execute this research.

Funding

This project was funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations office in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department, of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, 70060, Pakistan

    Abdul Kabir, Asghar Ali Kamboh & Hasina Baloch

  2. National Veterinary Laboratories, NVL, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Abubakar

  3. Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, 70060, Pakistan

    Zaheer Ahmed Nizamani

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  1. Abdul Kabir
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Contributions

A.K collected the data and wrote the manuscript. A.A.K conceived the study and proof-read the manuscript. M.A, H.B and Z.A.N supervised the experiments and helped in analysis. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Asghar Ali Kamboh.

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The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Ethical approval

This study did not require ethics approval according to the institutional guidelines and local legislation, as the samples were obtained during routine investigations of disease outbreaks.

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Kabir, A., Kamboh, A.A., Abubakar, M. et al. Foot-and-mouth disease virus dynamics in border areas of Pakistan with Afghanistan. Mol Biol Rep 51, 370 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-024-09262-6

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