Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease in cattle, buffalo, pigs, goats, sheep and other cloven-hoofed animals. The occurrence of FMD has serious consequences for the countries affected. Wild cloven-hoofed animals such as deer, antelopes, wild boar, giraffes and camels can also become infected. Horses are not susceptible to FMD; the virus poses no danger to humans.

The foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) is spread almost worldwide, with the exception of New Zealand, where no FMD outbreaks have been recorded to date. The disease is endemic in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and parts of South America. Sporadic outbreaks can occur in other regions: FMD in Europe has already occurred twice in the UK in the 21st century (2001 to 2002 and 2007). Bulgaria was also affected by an FMD outbreak in 2011.

In 2025, there were already FMD outbreaks in three EU countries within a short period of time:

FMD in Germany, 2025

On 10 January 2025, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (serotype O) was reported in Germany (federal state of Brandenburg). This is the first outbreak since 1988. The infected water buffaloes on the affected small farm were killed and animals from neighbouring farms were also culled as a precautionary measure. No other infected animals or farms have been found to date. The origin of the virus is unclear.

FMD in Hungary, 2025

• 7 March 2025 an outbreak in cattle in Győr-Moson-Sopron[AS1]
• 26 March 2025 an outbreak in cattle in Győr-Moson-Sopron. The farm is located just a few kilometres from the Austrian border. Due to the outbreak close to the border in Hungary, the surveillance zone established in Hungary as a result of this outbreak also extended to Austrian territory
• 2.4.2025 Two outbreaks in cattle in Győr-Moson-Sopron
• 17 April 2025 Outbreak in cattle in Rábapordány, in the wider restricted zone in the Győr-Moson-Sopron district and thus further south than the previous outbreaks. Austria was not affected by any protection or surveillance zones

FMD in Slovakia, 2025

Outbreaks reported by the Slovakian authorities:

• 21.3.2025 three outbreaks in cattle in Trnavský
• 25.3.2025 one outbreak in cattle in Trnavský
• 31 March 2025 one outbreak in cattle in Bratislavský near the border with Austria. The surveillance zone established around the affected holding extended into Austrian territory, although there are no animal holdings with animals susceptible to FMD in Austria in this zone
• 4.4.2025 an outbreak in cattle in Trnavský

The cause or origin of the disease is also unknown in Hungary and Slovakia. However, the causative virus is likely to be the same strain in both countries, while the virus isolated from the outbreak in Germany is clearly different. However, both virus strains (Hungary/Slovakia and Germany) belong to FMD serotype O.

In the meantime, all susceptible animals on the outbreak farms have been culled in all three affected countries. No further outbreaks have been reported since mid-April.

In Austria, there has been no evidence of an introduction despite extensive testing. Livestock farmers are nevertheless being asked to pay more attention to biosecurity measures.

Cattle, buffalo, pigs, goats, sheep, wild ruminants

Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected animals, their products (e.g. milk, meat, semen) and excreta or contaminated inanimate objects. Airborne transmission is possible over considerable distances (up to 60 km over land).

2 to 14 days

General symptoms in all affected animal species are blistering (aphthae) in the mouth area, on the udder and on the claws; fever (40-42 °C), pain, apathy, loss of appetite, lameness and a decline in milk yield. Morbidity can reach 100 %. The death rate in adult animals is usually low (up to 5 %), in young calves, lambs and piglets it can be 20 % or more.

While cattle and pigs usually show clear symptoms of the disease (main symptom in cattle: smacking and foaming at the mouth; main symptom in pigs: lameness or increased lying down), the symptoms in sheep and goats can be significantly less severe and can also be overlooked!

Vaccination is prohibited in the EU. Diseased animals must be killed.

Detection, isolation and eradication of infected FMD-positive animals; control of animal traffic to prevent the spread of the pathogen.

FMDV is a non-enveloped RNA virus belonging to the genus Aphtovirus of the family Picornaviridae with currently a total of 7 serotypes, with numerous subtypes within each serotype. Historically, the 7 serotypes are designated A for "Allemagne", O for department "Oise", C, Asia 1 for the first Asian detection, and SAT 1-3 for "South African Territories". Serotype C is now considered extinct. Some viral strains are specifically adapted to pigs; other species may play a role in the spread of infection, but their importance as reservoirs is uncertain. The pathogen typically shows high affinity for epithelial tissue:

• Epitheliotropism: skin and cutaneous mucosa.
• myotropism: skeletal and cardiac muscles
• Neurotropism (very rare): Nervous tissue

General symptoms in all affected species are aphthous formation (blisters, vesicles) on the udder (teat, resistance to milking), claws (interclaw cleft, coronal border, in pigs aphthous formation up to the tarsal joint, reluctance to move, clattering, slow standing up) and mouth (inside of lips, tongue, gums, animals salivate and show reduced desire to eat); fever (40-42 °C), pain, apathy.

Other symptoms in cattle: decrease in milk yield, high mortality rate in calves.

Other symptoms in pigs: changes in claws/extremities often very severe, shoeing possible, deaths in piglets without clinical signs common.

Other symptoms in sheep: mainly fever. Lameness and lesions in the mouth area are often mild. Peracute deaths in young animals.

FMD is clinically indistinguishable from other vesicular diseases (e.g. swine vesicular viral disease, vesicular stomatitis, Senecavirus A infection); appropriate laboratory diagnostics or exclusion of the disease by laboratory tests is therefore essential.

Suitable sample materials are

• Epithelium of unruptured or freshly ruptured vesicles (aphthae) in dry, sterile screw-top tubes or in a suitable transport medium (see below)
• Vesicle contents in dry, sterile screw-top tubes
• Swabs (e.g. swabs from older ruptured vesicles, or nasal/vengeance swabs for suspected FMD without clear changes)
• Whole blood (note: whole blood alone is not sufficient for diagnosis due to the short viraemia; tissue, vesicle contents or swabs must also be examined!)
• Milk (for dairy cattle - collective milk sample)

• Oesophageal/pharyngeal fluid (so-called probang samples) are primarily suitable for detecting chronic infections and should not be sent in acute cases of suspicion or exclusion

The sample materials should be sent to the analysing laboratory as quickly as possible after notification (ideally with refrigerants) in compliance with the relevant transport regulations (UN3373) and by a suitable logistics company.

The detection of FMDV from the above materials is possible using the following methods:

• Molecular biological identification with real-time RT-PCR (vesicle epithelium, vesicle fluid, swabs, milk, sample samples, serum)
• Antigen ELISA (vesicle epithelium, vesicle fluid)
• Virus isolation in cell culture (vesicle epithelium, vesicle fluid, swab, probang samples, serum)
• Serological test methods for antibody determination: ELISA, serum neutralisation test (serum)
• Serotyping or further pathogen characterisation:
  • Antigen ELISA
  • Serotype-specific RT-PCR
  • sequencing
  • Serotype-specific antibody ELISA
  • Serum neutralisation test