Evaluate the frequency of foot and mouth disease viral carriers in slaughtered sheep in Mashhad industrial abattoir using RT-PCR

Foot -and- mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Iran. Molecular techniques for diagnosis of persistent infection or carrier animals have shown a potential ability to improve the detection of a low genome copy number in samples. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the frequency of foot and mouth disease viral carriers in slaughtered sheep in Mashhad industrial abattoir using RT-PCR. Samples were isolated from tonsil of 94 slaughtered sheep analyzed by RT-PCR experiment for the detection of FMD, identification of FMD virus serotypes and at the end nucleic acid sequencing were performed. The results showed that the 23 samples (24/5 percent) were positive for the presence of FMD virus RNA, of which 89.9% of cases are type O and 3 cases of FMD samples did not respond. The results of the 1D genome sequencing of the nucleic acid virus showed that FMD virus of sheep (O/IRN/100/2010Sheep), has 92/02% similarity with the virus (O/IRN/67/2001-2005) and 88/42% similarity with the virus (O/IRN/15/2004-2008). This study showed that the percentage of FMDV sheep carriers in Mashhad slaughterhouse was remarkable. Estimation of the frequency of carrier state in cattle and small ruminants is recommended as a monitor of control plan in the region.