Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most economically and socially devastating diseases affecting animal agriculture throughout the world. Although mortality is usually low in adult animals, millions of animals have been killed in efforts to rapidly control and eradicate FMD. The causing virus, FMD virus (FMDV), is a highly variable RNA virus occurring in seven serotypes (A, O, C, Asia 1, Sat 1, Sat 2 and Sat 3) and a large number of subtypes. FMDV is one of the most infectious agents known, affecting cloven-hoofed animals with significant variations in infectivity and virus transmission. Although inactivated FMD vaccines have been available for decades, there is little or no cross-protection across serotypes and subtypes, requiring vaccines that are matched to circulating field strains. Current inactivated vaccines require growth of virulent virus, posing a threat of escape from manufacturing sites, have limited shelf life and require re-vaccination every 4-12 months. These vaccines have aided in the eradication of FMD from Europe and the control of clinical disease in many parts of the world, albeit at a very high cost. However, FMDV persists in endemic regions impacting millions of people dependent on livestock for food and their livelihood. Usually associated with developing countries that lack the resources to control it, FMD is a global problem and the World Organization for Animal Health and the United Nations' Food Agriculture Organization have called for its global control and eradication. One of the main limitations to FMDV eradication is the lack of vaccines designed for this purpose, vaccines that not only protect against clinical signs but that can actually prevent infection and effectively interrupt the natural transmission cycle. These vaccines should be safely and inexpensively produced, be easy to deliver, and also be capable of inducing lifelong immunity against multiple serotypes and subtypes. Furthermore, there is a need for better integrated strategies that fit the specific needs of endemic regions. Availability of these critical components will greatly enhance the chances for the global control and eradication of FMDV.

Abnormal body temperature is a major indicator of disease; infrared thermography (IRT) can assess changes in body surface temperature quickly and remotely. This technology can be applied to a myriad of diseases of various etiologies across a wide range of host species in veterinary medicine. It is used to monitor the physiologic status of individual animals, such as measuring feed efficiency or diagnosing pregnancy. Infrared thermography has applications in the assessment of animal welfare, and has been used to detect soring in horses and monitor stress responses. This review addresses the variety of uses for IRT in veterinary medicine, including disease detection, physiologic monitoring, welfare assessment, and potential future applications.

Sheeppox virus (SPPV) is a member of the Capripoxvirus (CaPV) genus of the Poxviridae family. Members of this genus, which also include goatpox and lumpy skin disease viruses, cause economically significant disease in sheep, goats, and cattle. A rapid diagnostic assay for CaPV would be useful for disease surveillance as well as for detection of CaPV in clinical samples and for outbreak management. Here we describe a fluorogenic probe hydrolysis (TaqMan) PCR assay designed for rapid detection of CaPV and tested on sheep experimentally infected with a virulent strain of SPPV. This assay can detect SPPV in buffy coats, nasal swabs, oral swabs, scabs, and skin lesions as well as in lung and lymph nodes collected at necropsy. This single-tube diagnostic assay can be performed in 2 h or less and can detect viral DNA in preclinical, clinical, and postmortem samples.