Published Date: 2023-05-17 17:52:14 BST
Subject: PRO/AH> Foot & mouth disease - Tunisia: (MS, KF) cattle, sheep, st O, spread, WOAH
Archive Number: 20230517.8710103
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - TUNISIA: (MONASTIR, LE KEF) CATTLE, SHEEP, SEROTYPYE O, WOAH
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: Tue 16 May 2023
Source: WOAH-WAHIS (World Animal Health Information System) 2023 [edited]
https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5054
Tunisia - Foot-and-mouth disease virus
--------------------------------------
General information
Report type: immediate notification
Started: 3 May 2023
Confirmed: 11 May 2023
Reported: 12 May 2023
Reason for notification: recurrence
Causal agent: Foot-and-mouth disease virus
Serotype: O
Nature of diagnosis: clinical, laboratory
This event pertains to the whole country.
Outbreak location 1: Sed Elkhir, Kalaat Senan, Le Kef
Date of start of the outbreak: 3 May 2023
Epidemiological unit: farm
Affected animals
Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / Slaughtered or killed for commercial use / Vaccinated
Sheep (domestic) / 150 / 32 / 2 / 0 / 0 / -
Outbreak location 2: Jammel, Monastir
Date of start of the outbreak: 6 May 2023
Epidemiological unit: farm
Affected animals
Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / Slaughtered or killed for commercial use / Vaccinated
Sheep (domestic) / 6 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / -
Cattle (domestic) / 14 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / -
Affected population: affected animals are between 3 months and 1 year old and show clinical signs including oral ulcerations.
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection: unknown or inconclusive
Epidemiological comments: the vaccination campaign for cattle and small ruminants is underway. Note: Virus characterization has not yet been completed by the reference laboratory; ME-SA PanAsia-2 ANT-10 had been wrongly reported and was removed from the report on [16 May 2023].
Control measures at event level
Domestic control measures applied: quarantine; surveillance outside the restricted zone; surveillance within the restricted zone; disinfection; movement control; vaccination in response to the outbreak(s).
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type / Species / Test / Tested from / Result
Institut de la Recherche Vétérinaire, Tunis [Institute of Veterinary Research of Tunisia] / sheep / reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) / 11 May 2023 / positive
[The location of the outbreaks can be seen on the interactive map included in the WOAH report at the source URL above.]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED
[Several foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) outbreaks were recorded in Tunisia between January and June 2022. In total, 61 outbreaks due to serotype O were reported to the WOAH between 12 Jan and 12 May 2022. Clinical signs were observed in cattle, sheep, and goats (https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4232?reportId=160858). Outbreaks were due to the topotype O/EA-3. More information can be found at https://www.fao.org/3/cc1519en/cc1519en.pdf.
Tunisia remains at risk of FMD re-emergence due to illegal cross-border movement of susceptible animals and their products, and inanimate vectors such as vehicles. This flow depends on several drivers such as socio-economic factors associated with the variation of the price of meat within neighboring countries, especially during religious events such as Ramadhan and Aïd al-Adha; the existence of social and family relationships on both sides of the Tunisian-Libyan and Algerian-Tunisian borders; and political and geo-climatic factors such as drought. Kalthoum et al. (2023) showed that livestock markets and localities in the governorate of Tataouine receive animals from Libya. In return, the governorate of Tataouine exports animals to the following 9 governorates: Monastir, Mahdia, Sfax, Kairouan, Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, Medenine, Gafsa, and Tozeur (see, in French, at http://cnvz.agrinet.tn/images/docs/BULLETIN_23_AOUT_2022.pdf).
In 2023, Libya recorded several FMD outbreaks caused by serotype O. These outbreaks were reported as 2 separate events:
- WAHIS event 3835, located in the eastern region, which had started in June 2021 (https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-event/3835/dashboard); and
- WAHIS event 4990, located in the western region, which started 7 Mar 2023 (https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-event/4990/dashboard).
Samples from outbreaks located in the eastern region (event 3835) were sent to the reference laboratory at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell' Emilia Romagna (IZSLER; Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna) for topotyping. The topotype identified in 2023 (O/EA-3) in the eastern region, is the same as recorded in 2019 in Libya. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the most closely related viruses are O/EGY/21/2017 (OM221225.1) and O/EGY/33/2017 (OM221221.1), with 94.8% identity (see archive 20230410.8709432). - Mod.SF
In 2012, an FMDV topotype O/EA-3, closely related with eastern African strains, was reported from Libya as co-circulating with topotype ME-SA, lineage PanAsia-2, sublineage ANT-10 (see ref). Final genotyping results of the strain currently circulating in western Lybia, bordering Tunisia (event 4990), are anticipated with interest.
Reference
---------
Abosrer F, Pezzoni G, Brocchi E, et al. FTA cards as a rapid tool for collection and transport of infective samples: Experience with foot-and-mouth disease virus in Libya. Animals. 2022; 12(22): 3198; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223198
- Mod.AS
ProMED map:
Tunisia: https://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=8710103,71]
