View source for Foot-and-mouth disease overview

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{{Foot-and-mouth disease}}
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==Overview==
'''Foot-and-mouth disease''' (FMD, [[Latin]] [[binomial nomenclature|binomial]] ''Aphtae epizooticae'') is a [[infectious disease|highly contagious]] and sometimes fatal [[virus (biology)|viral]] [[disease]] of cattle and pigs. It can also infect deer, goats, sheep, and other bovids with cloven hooves, as well as elephants, rats, and hedgehogs.  Humans are very rarely affected. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is the prototypic member of the Aphthovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family. This [[picornavirus]] is the etiological agent of the acute systemic vesicular disease that affects cattle and other animals worldwide. It is a highly variable and transmissible virus.<ref>{{cite book |chapterurl=http://www.horizonpress.com/hsp/abs/absavir.html|author=Martinez-Salas E, Saiz M, Sobrino F|year=2008|chapter=Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus|title=Animal Viruses: Molecular Biology|publisher=Caister Academic Press|pages=pp. 1-38|id=[http://www.horizonpress.com/avir ISBN 978-1-904455-22-6]}}</ref>

==Historical Perspective==
The cause of FMD was first shown to be viral in 1897 by Friedrich Loeffler.  He passed the [[blood]] of an infected animal through a fine porcelain filter and found that the fluid that was collected could still cause the [[disease]] in healthy animals.

==Pathophysiology==

When FMD virus comes in contact with a host cell, it binds to a receptor site and triggers a folding-in of the [[cell membrane]].  Once the [[virus]] is inside the host cell, its protein coat dissolves.  New viral [[RNA]] and components of the protein coat are then synthesized in large quantities and assembled to form new viruses. After assembly, the host cell [[lysis|lyses]] (bursts) and releases the new viruses.

==Causes==
Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by FMDV, an ''[[Aphthovirus]]'' of the viral family ''[[Picornaviridae]]''.  The members of this family are small (25-30 nm), nonenveloped [[icosahedral]] viruses that contain single-stranded [[RNA]] (ribonucleic acid, the viral genetic material). There are seven FMD [[serotype]]s: O, A, C, SAT-1, SAT-2, SAT-3, and Asia-1. These serotypes show some regionality, and the O serotype is most common.

==Epidemiology and Demographics==
FMD occurs throughout much of the world, and whilst some countries have been free of FMD for some time, its wide host range and rapid spread represent cause for international concern.
==Diagnosis==
===History and Symptoms===
The average incubation period of the Foot and Mouth virus varies but is generally around 3-8 days.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2007/08/04/105713/foot-and-mouth-symptoms.html|title=Foot and Mouth Symptom Guide |publisher=[[Farmers Weekly]]|date=[[2007-08-04]]|accessdate = 2007-08-06}}</ref> The disease is characterized by high [[fever]] that declines rapidly after two or three days; blisters inside the mouth that lead to excessive secretion of stringy or foamy saliva and to drooling; and blisters on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness.  Adult animals may suffer weight loss from which they do not recover for several months as well as swelling in the testicles of mature males, and in cows, [[milk]] production can decline significantly.
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Picornaviruses]]
[[Category:Viral diseases]]
[[Category:Animal diseases]]
[[Category:Bovine diseases]]
[[Category:Sheep and goats diseases]]
[[Category:Animal virology]]
[[Category:Overview complete]]
[[Category:Disease]]

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