title: Serotype specificity of antibodies against foot-and-mouth disease virus in cattle in selected districts in Uganda.
abstract: Uganda had an unusually large number of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in 2006, and all clinical reports were in cattle. A serological investigation was carried out to confirm circulating antibodies against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) by ELISA for antibodies against non-structural proteins and structural proteins. Three hundred and forty-nine cattle sera were collected from seven districts in Uganda, and 65% of these were found positive for antibodies against the non-structural proteins of FMDV. A subset of these samples were analysed for serotype specificity of the identified antibodies. High prevalences of antibodies against non-structural proteins and structural proteins of FMDV serotype O were demonstrated in herds with typical visible clinical signs of FMD, while prevalences were low in herds without clinical signs of FMD. Antibody titres were higher against serotype O than against serotypes SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3 in the sera investigated for serotype-specific antibodies. Only FMDV serotype O virus was isolated from one probang sample. This study shows that the majority of the FMD outbreaks in 2006 in the region studied were caused by FMDV serotype O; however, there was also evidence of antibodies to both SAT 1 and SAT 3 in one outbreak in a herd inside Queen Elizabeth national park area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Mwiine
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayebazibwe
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Olaho-Mukani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alexandersen
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Balinda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masembe
authors.forename: A R Ademun
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Okurut
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tjørnehøj
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005536:Foot-and-Mouth Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D029544:Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology