Appendix 42

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This work was carried out in Foot & Mouth Disease Institute, Ankara and Institute for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology of TUBITAK Marmara Research Center, Gebze Kocaeli.

The authors are grateful to Prof. Dr. E. Bermek who founded the collaboration between the organizations, to the General Directorate of Agricutural Research of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (TAGEM), Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Organisation (TUBITAK) and Ege University Science and Technology (EBILTEM) for their financial support, to Dr. H. Zengin for his moral support, Dr. A. Naci Bulut for his excellent technical help in ELISA applications and to Dr. I. Türküz for his technical help in vaccination and bleeding of the cattle on the farm.

Appendix 42

Proposals for Completion of Phase XVII and for Phase XVIII

The available results of the Phase XVII study were discussed at the EUFMD Research Group Meeting in Izmir (16-20 Sept 2002). It was agreed that Dr Paton and Dr De Clercq would prepare proposals for the completion of Phase XVII and for the new Phase XVIII project.

1. Phase XVII

1.1. Background

The candidate reference sera prepared and evaluated in Phases XV and XVI have been adopted by OIE. They represent three strains of FMD, O Manisa, A22 and C Noville.

Under Phase XVII, candidate reference sera have been prepared and evaluated for three new FMD virus strains, namely, O South Korea (O SKR), A Iran 96 and Asia 1 Shamir.

There has been uncertainty over the exact definition of the weak positive and cut-off reference sera. According to OIE guidelines, a weak positive should be weak, but consistently positive and cut-off sera are not defined. The following is now proposed:

FMD weak positive serum. This is the weak positive serum for use in herd-based serosurveillance. It should be primarily designed by reference to the virus neutralization test (VNT) using homologous virus. The cut-off for the VNT when screening on a herd basis is 1:45. Therefore the weak positive serum should have a mean VNT value of 1:64.

FMD cut-off serum. This is the weak positive serum for use in individual animal certification. It should be primarily designed by reference to the virus neutralization test (VNT) using homologous virus. The cut-off for the VNT when screening on an individual animal basis is 1:16. Therefore the weak positive serum should have a mean VNT value of 1:32.

Based on the above criteria, the weak and cut-off sera appear to be too weak, and it is proposed to strengthen the new panel for O SKR, A Iran 96 and Asia 1 Shamir.

1.2. Workplan

This will require a six months extension to the project, until the end of June 2003.

October 2002 Phase XVII results to be circulated to the participating laboratories. Proposals for completion of Phase XVII and for new Phase XVIII to be prepared.

December 2002 New candidate reference sera for O SKR, A Iran 96 and Asia 1 Shamir to be sent to the same 9 laboratories that conducted the evaluation in August 2002. These sera must first be BEI inactivated and adjusted so that the weak positive and cut-off sera are stronger. Inocuity testing of the heat treated (56ºC for 30 minutes) and BEI inactivated sera can proceed after the sera have been distributed.

March 2003 Evaluation reports concerning the reference sera sent out in December, to be returned to the WRL by mid-March.