Detection and characterization of foot and mouth disease virus, serotype a in Saudi Arabia in 2005

ABSTRACT

After elapsing of 10 years on the last recorded cases of Foot and Mouth disease [FMD] caused by the virus of serotype A in Saudi Arabia in 1995, new cases of FMD virus, serotype A were diagnosed in two traditional cattle herds in Al-Hota province, 150 Km south of Riyadh. Clinical signs of fever, vesicular stomatitis and coronitis, with morbidity rate of approximately 90% were reported. FMDV, serotype [A] isolates were identified by indirect sandwich ELISA. Vaccine matching tests [virus neutralization and ELISA], amplification and sequencing of the VP1 of the isolates revealed that the isolates were antigenically closely related with A Saudi 95, A 4164 and A22 Iraq 24/64 strains, and genetically identical with isolates of A Iran 2005. Fortunately one of these strains [A22 Iraq 24/64] is already incorporated in polyvalent FMD-vaccine formula in Saudi Arabia