Research article · 2025 · Full text
International Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Animal HusbandryPhysical and pathological assessment of cardio-hepatobiliary system with salivary gland in buffalo infected with FMD
Volume 10(2) · Pages 107–113 · DOI: 10.22271/veterinary.2025.v10.i2b.2062 ↗
Research areasAnimal Virus Infections StudiesMeat and Animal Product Quality
Abstract
Author-writtenThis study achieved assessing clinical manifestation with salivary gland, liver, heart, gallbladder histopathological changes in buffalo infected with Foot and mouth disease. Out of 50 buffalo herd in Al-Qasim district, Babil/Iraq, the positive cases previously detected with FMD screening kit (VDRG® FMDV 3Diff/PAN Ag Rapid kit) examined clinically, compared with 10 clinically healthy animal used as control, furthermore Gross lesions in mouth dental pads, gums and hoofs and histopathological study done on salivary gland, gall bladder, liver and heart. Clinical examination revealed recumbency, rope salivation, fever, polypnea, tachycardia, depression, anorexia and lameness, tow calves with primary lactation failure died within 1-3 days. Gross pathology exhibit vesicles, erosion and ulceration in its early stages by vesicles in the plamim nasale, in the oral cavity, tongue and hoof. Histopathological examination of infected calves revealed extensive necrotic myocarditis, necrotic hepatitis with ulcerative cholecystitis although no pathological lesion in salivary glands. this study emphasise the exceeding mortality and morbidity rate of young buffalo calves infected with FMD due to sever myocardial necrosis with outlining the associated pathological lesions in non-traditional organs as salivary glands, gall bladder and human consuming organs liver along with heart.
Summary
Source-checkedPlain-language reading of the full paper, prepared with AI and checked against the text. Each point links to the authors' own words.
Why it matters
- Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that causes significant annual economic losses for livestock owners. View evidence ↗
- FMD has become an endemic transboundary emerging disease across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. View evidence ↗
- While adult animals typically have low mortality rates, young calves can experience sudden death from FMD. View evidence ↗
The question
- The study aimed to identify the clinical manifestations of FMD and assess histopathological changes in the liver, heart, gall bladder, and salivary glands of buffalo calves. View evidence ↗
What they did
- The study examined 50 unvaccinated buffalo calves of both sexes, aged between ≤ 6 months and 2 years, in the Al-Qasim district of Babil, Iraq, in February 2024. View evidence ↗
- Histopathological analysis was performed on 1cm³ tissue samples from the heart, liver, gall bladder, and salivary glands using Hematoxylin & Eosin staining. View evidence ↗
What they found
- Infected calves exhibited significant hyperthermia with a body temperature of 40.7°C compared to 38.5°C in the control group. View evidence ↗
- The heart rate of infected calves was elevated (116-119 min) compared to the control group (91-101 min). View evidence ↗
- The respiratory rate was higher in infected calves (41-45 min) than in the control group (29-33 min). View evidence ↗
- The study observed a 4% mortality rate in calves that were recumbent and unable to suck their dams, dying within 3 days. View evidence ↗
- Histopathological examination revealed no pathological lesions in the sublingual and mandibular salivary glands of infected calves. View evidence ↗
- The heart of infected calves showed endomyocardium edema and focal coagulative necrosis (zinker necrosis) of the muscle fibers. View evidence ↗
- Liver examination of infected calves showed hepatocyte necrosis, hemorrhage in sinusoids, and congestion of the portal and central veins. View evidence ↗
- The gall bladder of infected calves exhibited mucosal erosions and acute cholecystitis. View evidence ↗
What it means
- The authors conclude that necrotic myocardiopathy is the likely cause of death in young buffalo calves infected with FMD. View evidence ↗
- The authors recommend the application of active prevention and control measures to manage FMD in Iraq. View evidence ↗
Visual summary
2 visualsIllustrations explain the paper; charts are replotted from the paper's own table values.
Systemic Pathological Effects of FMD
AI-generated conceptual illustration (water buffalo calf). It explains the idea and does not show study data.
View source evidence ↗
Body temperature/oC: Infected animals vs Control
Replotted from Table 1 (page 2) of the original paper. Every bar is the paper's own table value.
View source evidence ↗Figures & tables
From the original paper
Table 1
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Figure 7Introduction
FMD is a highly contagious, modifiable viral disease that can cross the species barrier causes annual massive economic losses to owner's stock (Al-Salihi KA, 2019) [6] , it is an infectious disease that affects wide range of cloven-hoofed mammals of small and large ruminants and swine (Sameer and Jarullah, 2014) [20] . FMDV is non-enveloped RNA virus in the genus Aphthovirus with four structural proteins surrounded the icosahedral capsid genome of approximately 8500 bases. There are seven immunologically, distinct, serotypes (O, A, C, Asia 1, and Southern African Territories (Peng et al., 2020) [16] , with over 70 subtypes with no cross protection Antigenic variation and instability contribute to persistent nature. The disease has expanded its geographical distribution and become endemic across extensive areas in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, making FMD a trans boundary emerging disease of ruminants, Disease spread via movement of infected animals, contaminated animal products, and fomites; can be transmitted up to 250 km by wind (Jamal and Belsham, 2015) [11] . Clinical manifestation of excessive salivation and lameness due to vesicles and blisters of oral cavity, nostrils, teats, udder, lethargy, fever, decreased milk production, and blanching of coronary bands may precede vesicles, all with hyperthermia occur in infected calves while signs in small ruminant including sheep and goat were mild to nil making disease difficult in diagnosis (Knight-Jones et al., 2017) [14] . The pharyngeal mucosa is thought to be hostile site for primary FMD virus replication, then it is transferred through lymphatics and blood vessels by viremia to oral mucosa which is secondary sites of replications (El-Karim, et al., 2022) [7] . The diseaserelated morbidity rate reaches 100% while mortalities are low in adult animals as well as (Knight-Jones et al., 2017) [14] except sudden death in young calves (Admassu et al., 2015) [1] . clinical signs demarks huge economic damages due to loss of milk production post 2 months of observation (Arzt et al., 2024) [4] , uncontrolled open Iraqi borders, substantial economic losses due to control measures to attain disease-free status severely weakened the disease control making introduction of exotic FMDV to Iraq as well as creates a threat to the neighboring countries and worldwide, and vice versa (Al-Salihi KA, 2019) [6] . However, this study focused to figure clinical manifestations of the disease as well as assessing the salivary gland, myocardial, gall bladder and liver histopathological changes in buffalo calves.
Methodology Animals and Samples Collection
This study examined a total of 50 buffalos (Syncerus caffer) calves were obtained in Al-Qasim district, Babil/Iraq at February, 2024. Both sexes aged between (≤ 6 months and 2 years), all analyzed buffalo calves have no history of FMDV vaccination. All the calves examined physically after being diagnosed with screening FMD diagnostic kit VDRG® FMDV 3Diff/PAN Ag Rapid kit by using saliva. Ten clinically healthy calves were served as the control group.
Clinical examination
General examinations performed on detectable changes in animal hair, gait and muscle (Radostits et al., 2000) [18] . Vital signs of pulse and respiratory rate, body temperature (rectal and axial), appetite were monitored. Examinations of the buccal cavity and claws were also performed.
Pathological studies Histopathological Techniques
The specimens of 1cm³ taken from salivary gland heart, liver and gall bladder, specimens were processed through the routine tissue fixation, clearing, mounting and stained by (Hematoxylin & Eosin stain) procedure according to (Ahmed, 2016) [5] .
Results and Discussion
Results and Discussion
Clinical examination and gross lesions
The infected examined calves revealed that all animals suffering from vesicles on the nasal planum, oral cavity, oral mucosa with rope salivation, anorexia depression, panting mouth breathing, fever ≥ 40.7°C, lameness, rough hair., tachycardia, all calves that unable to suck their dams, recumbent and died within 3 days, at 4%.of mortality rate (Figure 1) shows frequencies and rates of each clinical sign. Moreover the infected calves have indicative elevation in heart rate and respiratory rate with significant hyperthermia (Table 1) compared with control group. Gross pathology of calves infected calves dental pads exhibit vesicular lesion, multiple areas of ulceration and erosion (Figure 2a,b,c), upper surface of the gum (Figure 2d) and hoof (Figure 2e), dead calves appear emaciated (Figure 3). [19] ; Aktas et al., (2015) [3] findings, whom displaced that the mortality rate was 9.90% and 11.34% respectively in the acute myocardial form of the FMD-diseased calves, although this study showed that the diseased calves of clinical form were have, depression, feverish, accompanying in appetence, vesicles that may coalesce to form bullae which rupture leaving raw ulcers. Fluid-filled vesicles are present in the oral cavity, lips, rostral plate, and tongue accompanied with ptyalism. The same signs indicated by (Sarry et al., 2022) [17] . Sudden death conceder conspicuous sign of 1-2 months old calves. These findings totally agreed with (Ali et al., 2016) [5] who registered in young calves (2) months of age just before death they have tachypnea, arrhythmia, fever, with tachycardia; while with aged calves, peculiar signs are mouth and feet vaculation lesions. Elhaig and Elsheery (2014) [9] recorded cardiac arrhythmia besides labored breathing just before death. Meantime, less than 1-month old buffalo calves were found dead with indistinguishable clinically signs. This study showed presence of vesicular lesions dispend on dental pad, gum and hoof erosion and ulceration with inflamed borders frequently appear at the site of raptured vesicles, the same lesions mentioned by (Jubb et al., 2016) [
| Parameters | Infected animals | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Body temperature/oC | 40.7 | 38.5 |
| Heart rate / min | 116-119 | 91-101 |
| Respiratory rate / min | 41-45 | 29-33 |
Table text extracted from the original PDF; superscript letters are shown inline. The original table image is below.
View original table image
Histopathological examination of internal organs:
Histopathological examination of the mandibular and sublingual salivary glands of calves died from infection with FMD showed no pathological lesions (Figure 4a The histological changes in the myocardium of infected calves revealed myocardial muscle cells coagulative necrosis with myocarditis associated with interstitial edema, which are compatible with (Karapinar et al., 2010) [13] . In the acute, form, of FMD, degeneration and necrosis of myocardial fibers occur due to viral replication (Stalker, 2007) [15] , laterally focal myocardiac ischemic infraction developed, ending in complete heart failure due to stoppage of electrical signal transport to other parts of the cardiac muscle (Islam et al., 2017) [10] . In this study, liver lesion were represented by congestion of central and portal vein with necrosis of hepatocytes; a result totally agreed with (Ali et al., 2016) [6] that assisted hepatic cells degeneration as well as thickening hepatic capsule in addition to infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages in fibrotic portal areas; these findings were in a partial agreement with (El-Amir et al., 2014) [8] , that conducted presence multi-focal hepatocellular necrobiosis and necrosis areas due to secondary clostridial infection within the necrotic area.
Conclusion
FMD in Iraq still requires the application of active measures that aids in its prevention and control. This work emphasis the importance of FMD as a viral disease causing significant morbidity and mortality in buffalo, and this work denotes pathological lesions with full description of non-traditional organs as salivary glands, gall bladder and liver along with heart. Necrotic myocardiopathy assumes the etiology of death in young buffalo calves.
Acknowledgement
AcknowledgmentsNot applicable.
Figures and tables from the paper
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