The occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease in the hedgehog under natural conditions

The occurrence under natural conditions of foot-and-mouth disease in the hedgehog, Erinaceus europaeus , is reported in connexion with outbreaks of the disease among farm stock in Norfolk during the summer of 1946. 2. Foot-and-mouth disease may be fatal in the hedgehog which decreases the chance of finding affected animals and of revealing the existence of the disease. 3. In this series of outbreaks it seemed probable that affected hedgehogs were responsible in some instances for spreading the disease to cattle and the possible role of the hedgehog in the epidemiology of the disease is discussed.