Detection of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV)‎ in milk and kareish cheese with trials to control in milk

Abstract EN

The objectives of the present study were planned to detect Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) in milk and kareish cheese ; carry out comparison between the prevalence of antibodies against FMDV in milk and blood to evaluate using of milk as a medium for detection of the virus and control of the virus in milk.

This study included a total of 300 milk samples (100 samples from diseased dairy cattle with apparent clinical signs and 200 samples from apparently healthy dairy cattle) ; 100 blood samples from diseased dairy cattle and 30 samples of skim milk soft cheese (kareish cheese).

FMD viral antigens types A and O were detected in milk samples (from diseased dairy cattle) in percentages of 36 and 7 %, respectively.

The antibodies against FMDV types A and O could be detected in milk samples from diseased dairy cattle in percentages of 40 and 68 % and 54.5 and 72.5 % in the examined milk samples obtained from apparently healthy dairy cattle, with total percentages of 49.7 and 71 %, respectively.

The antibodies against FMDV type A could be detected in blood samples in a percentage of 55 and type O by 75 %.

FMDV was detected in 2 samples (6.7 %) of the examined kareish cheese collected from the same infected area.

FMDV could be isolated from refrigerated milk at 4°C for 7dayes and could survive pasteurization of milk at 63°C for 30 minutes, but could not be detected in milk boiled for 5 minutes.

In conclusion, the results of the present investigation indicate that the milk is an ideal medium for preclinical diagnosis of FMDV.

Milk used for manufacturing of dairy products must be subjected to boiling for at least 5 minutes to control the spreading of FMD virus.