Foot-and-mouth disease, real B08.8

Frog and Spoonbill, 1897

Viral zoonosis transmitted to humans from cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, pigs, sheep) through direct contact, rarely through infected objects or dairy products.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMD virus belonging to the family of picornaviruses -Picornaviridae)

Entry portal: Mainly skin and mucous membranes of the upper respiratory and digestive tract.

• Incubation period: 2-6 days.
• Prodromal stage with fever, headache, fatigue and back pain.
• After 2-3 days: bladder at the entrance of the pathogen.
• Viraemic phase: Reddened oral mucosa, morbilliform exanthema. Aphthous lesions, up to the size of a lens, on the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, tongue and lips as well as on the soles of the feet, palms of the hands and fingertips.

Intraepidermal bladder, eosinophilic cell pycnosis, reticular degeneration.

Virus isolation (tissue cultures), complement fixation reaction.

hand-foot-mouth disease; erythema exsudativum multiforme; aphthoid Pospischill-Feyrter; herpangina.

Bacterial secondary infections, gastroenteritis, orchitis, nephritis, myocardial damage.

Symptomatic, e.g. 1% Clioquinol lotion or cream (e.g. R050, Linola-Sept).

Cave!

Notification of the responsible veterinarian! No obligation to notify sick people.

Inexpensive, scarless healing within 14 days.

1. Loeffler F, Frosch P (1897) Summary report on the results of the investigations carried out by the Commission for Research on Foot and Mouth Disease at the Institute for Infectious Diseases. German Med Vschr 98: 80-84