Molecular characterization of foot-and-mouth disease viruses collected from Northern and Central Ethiopia during the 2018 outbreak

Background and Aim: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in several developing countries and affects poor farmers through loss of production, death of diseased animals, and loss of animal byproducts. Forty-three samples were collected from 12 sites of five geographical located areas from suspected FMD virus (FMDV)-infected cattle during 2018. This study aimed to isolate and characterize the FMDVs using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and gene sequencing. Materials and Methods: Forty-three FMDV-suspected clinical samples cultured on BHK-21 cell were examined, followed by virus serotype identification using RT-PCR and gene sequencing. Results: Twenty-nine (67.44%) samples were cultured on BHK-21 cell, of which 14 (32.56%) were not isolated; the 43 samples were analyzed using FMDV screening primers and serotype-specific primers. The contribution of the disease-causing serotype was serotype O of 8 (18.60%) samples, serotype A of 20 (46.51%) samples, and mixed infection (O and A) of 1 (2.33%) sample. Serotypes O and A were further characterized by phylogenetic analysis, which grouped them under East Africa 3 and Africa topotypes of genotype IV, respectively. Interestingly, serotype A was isolated for the 1st time from Keyet sub-woreda and Mulo woreda of Ethiopia, and mixed serotypes (O and A) were identified from the purchased animal. Conclusion: Molecular test result, sequencing, and phylogenetic tree reconstruction analysis revealed that the 2018 FMD outbreak in Ethiopia was caused by FMDV serotypes O and A. FMDV serotype A was the predominant strain circulating in most study areas of the country. Infections in one sample with mixed serotypes of O and A were also reported. The authors recommend a vaccine matching study of those field isolated viruses with the vaccine strain.