Experimental infection of cattle and goats with a foot-and-mouth disease virus isolate from the 2010 epidemic in Japan.

In this study, we carried out experimental infections in cattle and goats using a foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) isolate from the 2010 epidemic in Japan to analyze clinical manifestations, virus-shedding patterns and antibody responses in the animals. We found that the FMDV O/JPN/2010 isolate is virulent in cattle and goats, produces clinical signs, is spread efficiently by direct contact within the same species, and is persistently infectious in cattle. Quantitative analysis of levels of viral RNA in the tissues of cattle and goats infected with the isolate showed that the pharyngeal region is an important major target of the FMDV O/JPN/2010. Time course data of viral loads, excretion and transmission of the FMDV O/JPN/2010 in this study are key in providing quantitative data essential for epidemiological investigation and risk analysis in relation to disease controls.