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The 1975 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Epidemic in Malta. I: Experimental Studies with the Causal Virus Strain O 1 Malta

1981; Elsevier BV; Volume: 137; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0007-1935(17)31692-5

1879-3606

Alex Donaldson, A.J.M. Garland, N.P. Ferris, T. Collen,

Viral Infections and Immunology Research

Animals experimentally infected with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus type O1 Malta excreted quantities of airborne virus comparable to those obtained with other strains. The patterns and times of excretion were also similar. O1 Malta virus was found to be relatively stable in aerosols at 60% and 70% relative humidity. It is likely that considerable quantities of virus were dispersed into the air during the Malta epidemic at times when the meteorological conditions were suitable for airborne virus survival. Sampling carried out during the epidemic on farms contiguous to infected premises did not reveal any convalescent carrier animals. However, under experimental conditions, infected cattle, sheep and goats all become carriers.