Submitted to: Veterinary Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/7/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious livestock disease that impacts global trade and animal health policies, as countries must achieve or maintain FMD-free status to access international markets. Controlling FMD is challenging due to its complexity, involving multiple virus types, diverse animal hosts, and regional differences in spread, alongside knowledge gaps that hinder effective control and eradication. This work highlights these gaps and provides a foundation for future research and policy improvements to protect livestock better and support equitable global trade.

Technical Abstract: Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is one of the few veterinary pathogens that defines policy and global trade in animal products. Its prominence necessitates approaches to control that integrate the multiple factors contributing to the disease's biology and transmission characteristics. Central to this concept is the epidemiological FMD status (endemic or FMD-free, with or without vaccination) of a territory, which defines access to export markets. FMD epidemiology is complex, insufficiently understood, and is intertwined by the biology of the virus (multiple serotypes and subtypes), global distribution (distinct regional virus pools), pathogenesis (subclinical infections and species differences), and host range (broad range of susceptible domestic and wild animals). Despite steady advances, critical knowledge gaps persist in FMD epidemiology that undermine the optimal control of FMD. This review summarizes the distinct thematic compartments of FMD epidemiology and presents the critical knowledge gaps that continue to limit the effectiveness of global, regional, and national initiatives to control and eradicate FMD.