Published Date: 2017-03-30 19:07:16
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - Algeria: (RE) bovine, susp, RFI
Archive Number: 20170330.4936520

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - ALGERIA: (RELIZANE) BOVINE, SUSPECTED, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

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: Wed 29 Mar 2017
Source: Echorouk [in Arabic, trans. Mod.AB, edited]
http://www.echoroukonline.com/ara/articles/518563.html


According to knowledgeable sources, the Veterinary Services of the Directorate of Agriculture of the province of Relizane recorded 12 cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle in a farm located in the area of Ouled Soued, Zemmoura district, province of Relizane.

Veterinary services ordered the slaughter of the affected animals, which showed symptoms of this deadly disease. Samples were taken and sent to Pasteur Institute in Algiers for confirmation. The cases were detected after notification from a peasant to veterinary services on the emergence of symptoms of FMD.

The provincial directorate of agriculture informed the ministry about these cases, as required. The Ministry of Agriculture immediately allocated 5000 FMD vaccine doses to the area and ordered the intensification of the vaccination effort and its extension to neighboring areas with the aim to contain disease spread.

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Communicated by:
ProMED-MENA
<promed-mena@promedmail.org>

[A large FMD outbreak due to serotype O, topotype ME-SA, lineage Ind-2001d of FMD virus appeared in Tunisia in April 2014 and rapidly spread to Algeria in July [2014] causing hundreds of disease foci up until November 2014.

The epizootic restarted in Algeria in March and April 2015, causing a total of 12 outbreaks in cattle and sheep farms in 4 different provinces (El Bayadh, El Oued, Aida and Sidi Bel Abbas). All reports and an interactive map are available at:
http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/public/wahid.php/Reviewreport/Review/viewsummary?fupser=&dothis=&reportid=17331.

No stamping out was applied. However, [3 May 2015] has been considered the date of the outbreak's resolution nationally.

Pending confirmation of the cases reported above, FMD has reoccurred after almost 2 years of freedom from clinical disease. ProMED-MENA will appreciate receiving additional information on the new outbreak and, possibly, the results of the laboratory characterization of the virus strain responsible for this FMD recurrence. - Mod.AB]

[Confirmation of the current suspected outbreak or otherwise is anticipated. Further east, in Egypt, FMD has been active continuously while multiple new outbreaks published by the media recently. According to WRLFMD genotyping data, based upon the sequencing results of samples collected in Egypt throughout 2015 until end of March 2016, the virus strain widely circulating in Egypt was/is FMDV serotype O, topotype EA-3, lineage "unnamed"; its source was suspected to be in Sudan or other countries in East Africa. Details at http://www.wrlfmd.org/fmd_genotyping/2016/WRLFMD-2016-00024-Egypt-O.pdf. This strain has recently spread in 2017 eastwards into the Gaza strip (Palestinian Autonomous territory) and adjacent south-west Israel.

Another strain which has been circulating in Egypt, at least as late as 2014, is FMDV serotype SAT2, topotype VII, genotype/strain: Alx-12. See at http://www.wrlfmd.org/fmd_genotyping/2014/WRLFMD-2014-00037%20SAT2%20Egypt%202012%20&%202014.pdf.

It will be interesting to note if the current event in Algeria is caused by one of the mentioned strains or otherwise.

In 2014, the FMDV - O samples from Algeria were submitted for genotyping to Italy's National Reference Centre for Vesicular Diseases in Brescia, VPI shared by the latter with the WRLFMD at Pirbright, UK; the genotyping results became available at http://www.wrlfmd.org/fmd_genotyping/2014/WRLMEG-2014-00030%20O%20Algeria%202014.pdf. Hopefully, the current Algerian strain will be serotyped soon in Algiers and samples submitted to a reference FMD laboratory for confirmation and genotyping. - Mod.AS

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/promed/p/19750.]