FMD Pocket Guide Coming to a Mailbox near You

April 20, 2011 — 

Over the next week, AASV will be mailing out a new Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) educational pocket guide. The laminated flipchart contains photos illustrating lesions associated with FMD in domestic and feral swine. This pocket guide was developed through a cooperative agreement funded by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and is the collaborative effort of AASV, ISU's Center for Food Security and Public Health, National Pork Board and USDA APHIS.

The United States eradicated FMD in 1929 but it remains active in many parts of the world and thus is a constant threat to U.S. livestock. Veterinarians and livestock producers will likely be the first to observe an outbreak of FMD in the U.S. swine herd. The purpose of this pocket guide is to enhance vesicular disease surveillance in swine by providing practitioners and veterinary students with a convenient resource illustrating the progression of FMD lesions. The photos utilized in the guide were taken by personnel at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center following experimental inoculation of the animals with FMD virus.

There are very few diseases that cause vesicles in pigs. Anytime you observe blisters on the snout, oral cavity, feet or teats of swine you should immediately be suspicious of a vesicular disease such as FMD, swine vesicular disease, vesicular stomatitis or vesicular exanthema which are indistinguishable clinically. In pigs, the hoof lesions are often severe with vesicles on the coronary band, hoof pads and interdigital space. The lesions may result in sloughing of the hoof wall and pronounced lameness. Other clinical signs associated with FMD in swine include fever, anorexia and a reluctance to move. Morbidity may be as high as 100%. Mortality is usually less than 1% except in younger animals.

In addition to the photos, the guide also includes a section on procedures to follow if you suspect a foreign animal disease. It is hoped that you will find this resource useful and it is designed to be carried with you for quick reference. Thank you for taking a minute to familiarize yourself with this potentially devastating disease and its associated clinical signs. Remember, you represent our first line of defense. If you suspect a foreign animal disease contact your state or federal animal health official immediately!

If you would like additional copies, please feel free to contact me at Snelson@aasv.org or the AASV office (aasv@aasv.org)