Seroprevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease in apparently healthy beef cattle in Uganda post the 2021 outbreak

Background Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals caused by a picornavirus. There are 7 known serotypes (O, C, A, SAT1, SAT2 and Asia) and more than 60 subtypes of the FMD virus with no cross protection between types or subtypes. FMD can cause enormous economic losses including reduced animal productivity and the restrictions on international trade in animal products. In Uganda, FMD is endemic caused by mainly O, A, SAT 1, and SAT2 serotypes and outbreaks that re-occur annually are mainly controlled by ring vaccination and restriction of animal movement. These control methods are sometimes not efficient and due to lack of regular surveillance, information on the seroprevalence of FMDV in animal herds post outbreak response is not available to guide policy makers on when to lift quarantine in affected districts. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the 2021 FMD outbreak response in Western Uganda following lifting/easing of the quarantine restrictions. Methods This was a retrospective study involving the use of blood samples previously collected from sixty-eight (68) apparently healthy beef cattle and archived as part of routine herd health checks post the 2021 FMD outbreak. Forty-six (46) of these animals were from Nshaara ranch and 22 from Mbarara city abattoir. The samples were tested for the presence of specific FMDV antibodies using Solid-Phase Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Results Overall, from the 68 animal samples tested, 51/68(75%) tested positive for FMDV. The site specific FMD prevalence was 43/46(93.5%) for Nshaara ranch and 8/22(36.4%) for Mbarara City abattoir. Conclusion These data revealed a concerningly high seropositivity of apparently health animals to FMDV antibodies possibly due to early lifting of the quarantine, weak enforcement of control measures or lack of incentive and resources to control the disease.