Foot-and-mouth disease in Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus)

Abstract

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious, debilitating, and globally significant viral disease typically affecting cloven-hoofed hosts. The diagnosis of FMD in bears in Vietnam is described. The current study describes a confirmed case of FMD in a bear species, and the clinical signs compatible with FMD in a Malayan sun bear. Thirteen Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) and 1 Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) were apparently affected. In August 2011, an adult bear became lethargic, and developed footpad vesicles. Over 15 days, 14 out of 17 bears developed similar signs; the remaining 3 co-housed bears and another 57 resident bears did not. All affected bears developed vesicles on all footpads, and most were lethargic for 24-48 hr. Nasal and oral lesions were noted in 6 and 3 cases, respectively. Within 1 month, all looked normal. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, classified as serotype O, and isolated by virus isolation techniques. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated clustering of 3 bear isolates, in a branch distinct from other FMDV type O isolates. The outbreak likely occurred due to indirect contact with livestock, and was facilitated by the high density of captive bears. It showed that Asiatic black bears are capable of contracting FMDV and developing clinical disease, and that the virus spreads easily between bears in close contact.

Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Update and Gap Analysis: 2 - Epidemiology, Wildlife and Economics

“…An unusual outbreak of FMD serotype O was reported in Asiatic Black bears ( Ursus thibetanus ) at a rescue centre in Vietnam. Bears displayed typical lesions, and the presence of FMDV was confirmed by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and virus isolation (Officer et al., ).…”

Evaluasi Tiga Prosedur Penyiapan Sampel Daging untuk Deteksi Penyakit Mulut dan Kuku dengan Uji RT-PCR

“…Meskipun terdapat tujuh serotipe yang berbeda, gejala klinis yang ditimbulkan sulit untuk dibedakan. Penyakit PMK dapat ditemukan pada sapi, babi, kambing, domba, kerbau dan beberapa hewan liar antara lain rusa, antelope, kangguru (Bhattacharya et al 2003), gajah (Alexandersen & Mowat 2005), tapir (Weaver et al 2013) dan beruang (Officer et al 2014). Gejala klinis yang muncul bervariasi tergantung galur virus PMK yang menginfeksi hewan tersebut dan pada hewan dewasa umumnya tidak menyebabkan angka kematian yang tinggi (Grubman & Baxt 2004).…”

Epidemiology and pathological progression of erythematous lip lesions in captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus)

“…Although infectious and non-infectious disease have been recognised as threats to wildlife elsewhere [2][3][4][5] there are no reports of disease in free-ranging sun bears, which may reflect the limited surveillance of this species in the wild. Reports of disease in captive sun bears can be found, including neoplasia [6][7][8][9][10], a small number of infectious disease reports [10][11][12][13], and, the focus of this study, progressive oral lesions [10]. Thus captive sun bears are an important source of health and disease data that ultimately may be applied to their wild counterparts, whether through risk analyses for future releases, or the provision of baseline data to inform study design for disease surveillance in wild sun bears.…”