Transboundary Animal Diseases, an Overview of 17 Diseases with Potential for Global Spread and Serious Consequences

Abstract

Animals provide food and other critical resources to most of the global population. As such, diseases of animals can cause dire consequences, especially disease with high rates of morbidity or mortality. Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are highly contagious or transmissible, epidemic diseases, with the potential to spread rapidly across the globe and the potential to cause substantial socioeconomic and public health consequences. Transboundary animal diseases can threaten the global food supply, reduce the availability of non-food animal products, or cause the loss of human productivity or life. Further, TADs result in socioeconomic consequences from costs of control or preventative measures, and from trade restrictions. A greater understanding of the transmission, spread, and pathogenesis of these diseases is required. Further work is also needed to improve the efficacy and cost of both diagnostics and vaccines. This review aims to give a broad overview of 17 TADs, providing researchers and veterinarians with a current, succinct resource of salient details regarding these significant diseases. For each disease, we provide a synopsis of the disease and its status, species and geographic areas affected, a summary of in vitro or in vivo research models, and when available, information regarding prevention or treatment.

Keywords: animal models; emerging and re-emerging infections; transboundary animal diseases.

Figure 1

Broad continental distribution of 17 transboundary diseases. This figure displays a general and broad continental distribution of each disease. Due to the potential for these diseases to easily cross borders, the geographic distribution is divided into broad regions rather than being country specific. Abbreviations: African horse sickness (AHS), African swine fever (ASF), avian influenza (HPAI), bluetongue (BT), classical swine fever (CSF), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), foot and mouth disease (FMD), hemorrhagic septicemia (HS), lumpy skin disease (LSD), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Newcastle disease (VND), peste des petits ruminants (PPR), Rift Valley fever (RVF), rinderpest (RP), sheeppox and goatpox (SP/GP), swine vesicular disease (SVD), vesicular stomatitis (VS).