A review of foot-and-mouth disease status and control measures in Botswana

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), an economically important disease of livestock, is endemic in Botswana. The country has been affected by this disease since the early 1930s, and FMD virus (FMDV) continues to circulate in both domestic and wild animal populations. Botswana is affected by the Southern African Territories (SAT1-3) of FMDV. Up to 80% of the income in the agricultural sector in Botswana is derived from the beef production, and about 70% of Botswana's beef exports go to the European Union (EU) market. Thus, trade restrictions caused by FMD outbreaks may result in declines in revenue. In this review, the FMD status of Botswana from 2006 to 2022 is discussed. During the report period, SAT2 was responsible for 80 out of a total of 87 FMD outbreaks, while SAT1 was responsible for 7 out of 87 outbreaks. These outbreaks were a result of SAT1 topotype I and SAT2 topotypes I, II, and III. There were no outbreaks associated with serotype SAT3 over the review span, suggesting absence of this serotype in the country, although it is still maintained in vaccines formulated for use in Botswana. Most of the outbreaks reported in this review occurred in the North West district of Botswana; an area that is heavily populated with cloven hooved wildlife. This highlights the role of wildlife-domestic animal interaction in FMD spread and maintenance. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has created a progressive control pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD) for the global elimination of FMD to reduce FMD-related losses. This review highlights how Botswana takes part in the PCP-FMD by putting in place control measures such as surveillance and vaccination. The review also touches on the disease control challenges such as limitations to separation of livestock with populations of buffaloes and lapses in livestock vaccination which contribute to maintenance of FMDV circulation in Botswana.

Serological Survey of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) in Zambia

A study was conducted to determine the serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) circulating in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) from selected areas in Zambia. Sera and probang samples were collected between 2011 and 2012 and analysed for presence of antibodies against FMDV while probang samples were used to isolate the FMDV by observing cytopathic effect (CPE). Samples with CPE were further analysed using antigen ELISA. High FMD seroprevalence was observed and antibodies to all the three Southern African Territories (SAT) serotypes were detected in four study areas represented as follows: SAT2 was 72.7 percent; SAT1 was 62.6 percent; and SAT3 was 26.2 percent. Mixed infections accounted for 68.6 percent of those that were tested positive. For probang samples, CPE were observed in three of the samples, while the antigen ELISA results showed positivity and for SAT1 (n = 1) and SAT2 (n = 2). It is concluded that FMDV is highly prevalent in Zambian buffaloes which could play an important role in the epidemiology of the disease. Therefore livestock reared at interface with the game parks should be included in all routine FMDV vaccination programmes.