Item 9 Closed Session

3. The deterioration of FMD control procedures in Transcaucasia and Central Asia has increased the risk of the introduction of FMDV particularly for the Russian

Federation and possibly also for Europe.

4. Russia is currently free from FMD but due to economic pressures the size of its national buffer zone in northern Caucasia may be reduced.

5. The FMD situation in Kazakhstan, which shares a long border with Russia, has deteriorated in recent years. This part of Russia’s southern border is not protected by a buffer zone and so there is a major risk that animal trade could transport virus northwards through this gap in Russia’s defences.

6. Transcaucasian countries have insufficient resources, infrastructure, legislation and laboratory support to implement effective disease control measures when outbreaks of FMD are reported.

7. There is a shortage of vaccine for use in Transcaucasian countries and the locally produced vaccine (from Armenia and Georgia) is not fully quality controlled.

8. The results of the tests for non-structural antibodies indicate that FMD virus was circulating in the three Transcaucasian Republics during 1999 and 2000.

Recommendations:

1. Actions and strategies which aim to achieve particular control and eradication objectives under different circumstances in which sheep are a major component of the livestock population should be implemented.

2. Studies should be initiated to determine the feasibility of measures to reduce the risk associated with trade in intestines for sausage casings and these measures should be submitted to the OIE Code Commission for consideration.

3. From a strategical point of view, and considering the endemic situation of FMDV in Transcaucasian countries, priority should be given to the strengthening of the

Russian buffer zones and to the improvement of surveillance and control programmes in the Transcaucasian region.

4. The national buffer zones in Russia (northern Caucasian region and the extreme east region) should be maintained and surveillance continued, including the application of the 3ABC ELISA to detect any possible entry of virus.

5. The ARRIAH, Russia, sends to the WRL, Pirbright, representative samples of the

FMD virus isolates which it receives from the ex-USSR countries.

6. The FMD vaccine used in the Transcaucasian region should comply with the OIE manual requirements.

7. Cattle in the Transcausian region control programme should be vaccinated within a short period of time in the early spring before they are permitted to move to highland pastures.

Item 4 New developments in FMD diagnostics

Antigen detection and virus isolation

Mr.S. Reid presented a paper by Ferris et al. (Appendix 14) on the sensitivity for the isolation of FMDV of primary cells (calf thyroid, calf kidney and piglet kidney) immortalised by oncogene transfection. Sixty-five immortalised cell lines were stable upon repeated cell culture passages and many supported the growth of FMDV (and SVD, in the case of PK cell lines) but none had either the degree of sensitivity or specificity for all FMD virus serotypes exhibited by primary calf thyroid cells and IB-RS-2 cell cultures which are routinely employed for vesicular virus diagnosis.

Prof. R. Ahl gave a talk on the influence of interferon on the replication of virus in cells, (Appendix 15) which may lead to problems in the isolation of FMDV in primary or secondary cells. The possibility that interferon might be one factor responsible for the observed differences in the virulence and pathogenicity of FMDV was discussed.

Dr. O. Marquardt presented a paper (Appendix 16) on the type independent detection of FMDV by ELISA. Three MAbs raised against ASIA1, SAT1 and A22 Iraq, respectively, recognized virus of all seven serotypes. Pepscan investigations revealed that these MAbs bind to the VP2 protein. The possible diagnostic value of these antibodies was discussed.

Dr. I. Gürhan presented the comparative study of Ünver and Alkan on the detection of FMDV in field specimens by coagglutination test (COAT), CFT and ELISA (Appendix 17). COAT was considered as an alternative test for the primary diagnosis of FMD in regional laboratories with limited equipment, including the detection of carrier animals. It was suggested that confirmatory tests be performed on samples positive in the COAT, but negative with CFT and/or ELISA.

PCR-based testing

Mr. S. Reid presented the results of an evaluation of a pen-side test for FMDV antigen detection using ClearviewTM chromatographic strip-test technology at the WRL, Pirbright (Appendix 18). The strip-test rapidly and specifically detected FMD viral antigen in nasal swabs and probang samples both from naturally or experimentally infected animals as well as in epithelial suspensions of clinical material and cell culture supernatants. The sensitivity of the devices compared to antigen detection ELISA was discussed. These results indicated that such strip-test devices could potentially achieve a more immediate diagnosis at the site of a suspected FMD outbreak and allow control procedures to be effected more rapidly. Such pen-side diagnosis would be particularly relevant to FMD control programmes in endemic regions.