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Foot and mouth disease: Clinical Disease and Diagnosis |
Incubation Period |
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Contents |
The incubation period for FMD is conventionally considered to be between 2 and 14 days. This is usually the period around which control regulations and international trade are based. In fact, it depends on the dose of virus to which the animal has been exposed, the strain of the virus and the route of infection. Following a low dose of exposure the incubation period may be relatively long, i.e., around 10 days, whereas with a high dose it can be as short as 2 days. Thus, when a low amount of virus enters a holding, the incubation period in the index case is likely to be relatively long. Conversely, when the index cases have increased the amount of virus in the environment, the incubation period is likely to be much less in the next group of animals to be infected. It can be expected, therefore, that once the disease has begun to spread within a herd or flock the incubation period will be, for example, around 2-4 days in cattle and sheep and 1-2 days longer in pigs. |
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