The present study reports the sero-surveillance of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) conducted in 90 randomly selected villages of the six districts of central Punjab. Serum samples (n=4500) from buffaloes and cattle were subjected to liquid phase blocking ELISA for the estimation of circulating antibodies. The results of the study showed that FMD serotype “O” as the most prevalent type (67.11%), followed by serotype-A (50.15%) and serotype Asia-1 (39.31%). The prevalence of antibodies to FMD serotypes A, O and Asia-1 in buffaloes (47.0, 73.6 and 59.8%, respectively) and cattle (31.1, 60.1 and 39.8% respectively) indicates a significant difference in the exposure of these animals to FMD. A non significant difference in the antibody profile were observed between sexes and among different age groups. Statistically significant differences were detected among districts for prevalence of serotypes of FMD. Highest prevalence of FMD serotypes were observed in Okara followed by Faisalabad, Multan, Pakpattan, Sahiwal and Khanewal. The high seropositivity for FMD serotypes in larger ruminants might be due to the outbreak waves that occur every year in cattle and buffaloes in the selected districts of Central Punjab. However the role of weekly and monthly livestock markets in Okara and Sahiwal and movement of the livestock during Eid ul Azha needs further investigation. Concurrent infections due to all the three serotypes have been confirmed. The study results highlight the need to explore the use of multi-variant vaccine in disease control programs for effective control of FMD in the given situation.
