Published Date: 2021-12-29 11:27:58 GMT
Subject: PRO/AH> Foot & mouth disease - Jordan (03): cattle, goat, sheep, st O, genotyped, spread
Archive Number: 20211229.8700556

FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - JORDAN (03): CATTLE, GOAT, SHEEP, SEROTYPE O, GENOTYPED, SPREAD

A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org

Date: Sun 26 Dec 2021
Source: Ammon News [in Arabic, machine trans., edited]
https://www.ammonnews.net/article/655150


A number of sheep breeders in the areas of Southern Shouneh, Madaba, and Ad-Dulayl complained of the death of a number of sheep, and they were suspected of having "foot and mouth disease", pointing out that no vaccines were available in the agricultural directorates to vaccinate livestock.

The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed to Ammon News that foot and mouth disease [FMD] does not cause the death of mothers (older sheep), but may cause the death of newborn ones, noting that the directorates of agriculture have not recorded any deaths among sheep due to FMD. The ministry said that it will provide the farmers with FMD vaccinations soon and will distribute them to [the farmers], noting that there is nothing dangerous, and the situation is under control. The ministry added that it had informed the Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO] of the registration of cases of FMD among sheep in Jordan.

The head of the Sheep Breeders Association, Zaal Al-Kawalit, confirmed to Ammon News on Sunday [26 Dec 2021] that there are some foci of FMD infection. He pointed to the availability of vaccines in the private sector centers, but in the veterinary centers of the Ministry of Agriculture, they are available in very small quantities, about 300 000 doses, as the ministry requested the supply of large quantities within a week or 10 days to cover all regions of the Kingdom.

Al-Kawalit explained that the effect of FMD on sheep is less than on cows, the symptoms are weak in sheep without affecting milk or meat, and it is not contagious to humans, while the production of milk in cows decreases and the infection spreads faster because their immunity is less than sheep.

--
communicated by:
Mahmoud Orabi
<ahstandards@gmail.com>

[On Mon 27 Dec 2021, Jordan submitted to the OIE its 1st follow-up report on the FMD event that had started on 4 Nov 2021 (ProMED post 20211111.8699579). The virus, from cattle origin, has been serotyped O, applying the rRT-PCR test, at Jordan's national Animal Wealth Laboratory. It has been genotyped (gene sequencing) by the Veterinary College Research Laboratory, University of Science and Technology, Irbid (see results below).

According to the follow-up report, available -- with map -- at https://wahis.oie.int/#/report-info?reportId=45420, the following 4 outbreaks have been recorded so far:

1. Amman, Sahab district, starting 4 Nov 2021. Small herd of feedlot calves adjacent to Sahab livestock market; 10 calves showed clinical signs of fever, mouth lesions, and salivation.
2. Khaldiyya (Mafraq province), starting 18 Nov 2021, infecting goats and sheep.
3. North Ghor, Tayybeh subdistrict, Irbid province, starting 15 Nov 2021, infecting cattle and sheep.
4. North Ghor, Tayybeh subdistrict, Irbid province, starting 21 Nov 2021, infecting cattle.

The total number of susceptible and diseased livestock in the 4 outbreaks combined follows:

Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Vaccinated
Cattle / 155 / 15 / 1 / 80
Goats / 25 / 7 / 0 / 25
Sheep / 1705 / 27 / 2 / 1705

Neither culling nor slaughter have been applied.

The samples from the outbreak 4 have been genotyped as FMDV O, topotype ME-SA, lineage PanAsia 2, sublineage ANT-10.

Outbreaks 3 and 4 are located adjacent to the Jordan River, which separates Jordan from Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see map in the OIE report, above). Notably, on 15 Dec 2021, the Palestinian Authority notified the OIE about an FMD outbreak in Al-Hadidiya, Tubas, West Bank, affecting sheep and goats (ProMED post 20211216.8700299). This location is situated about 5 km [3.1 mi] from the Jordan River and 38 km [23.6 mi] from outbreaks 3 and 4 in Jordan. The virus strain from Al-Hadidiya is assumed to have been genotyped but not yet published.

It will be of epidemiological value to analyse the difference/similarity between the FMD virus strains currently circulating on both sides of the Jordan River, possibly involving an international reference laboratory. - Mod.AS

ProMED map of Jordan: https://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=8700556,91.]