Comparative study of foot and mouth disease in apparently healthy Awassi sheep using different diagnostic tests in Jordan

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an extremely contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed domesticated as well as wild animals and has a great potential for causing severe economic losses. Four hundred blood samples were collected randomly from different sheep flocks from august to September 2010 from northern region of Jordan. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of FMD in apparently healthy Awassi sheep and com- pared the hematological changes of those infected animals with their normal uninfected counterparts. The prevalence of FMD was 3%, 4.25% and 51% by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nested PCR and competitive ELISA, respectively. There was significant increase in packed cell volume and eosinophils percentage in FMD positive group by ELISA. There were no significant differences in the other hematological parameters examined. In general FMD is endemic and widely spread among apparently healthy Awassi sheep that affects the economical progress in Jordan and other countries. This needs an international intervention to stop and control this disease.