foot and mouth disease

the causative virus of the foot and mouth disease id similar to that of the rheoviruse. it is an acute communicable disease of hoofed animals like various cattle- sheeps, goat, swine etc. humans are susceptible for infections and they may transmit it to other healthy individuals. animals who recover from the disease may act as asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
   Infections generally occur through the abrasions of the skin ans mucous membranes. in humans the disease is generally mild and is characterised by symptoms as follows:
1. high fever
2. salivation
3. vesicular eruptions in the mucus membrane of oesophagus, skin of palm sole and the finger and toes.

vesicles occur on the mucosa of the mouth between claws of feet and other parts of the body. the mortality rate on the animals is low but the disease causes a great economic loss due to reduced meat and milk production. recovery from the disease confirms immunity to particular viral serotypes involved in the infection. vaccines are available and are made from inactive virus grown in tissue culture.
   However outbreaks are frequently linked to incompletely inactivated inactivated vaccines or escapes of live and active viruses from research and production facilities. laboratory diagnosis of FMD is done by compliment fixation virus neutralisation test.  at present the vaccine developed by the DNA recombinant technology are used against the virus.  in this method a Gene from FMD viral coat protein is spliced in E.Coli and the bacteria containing the plasmid then produce the viral protein antigen. this antigen is extracted from the bacteria and used as completely safe immunising agent.