INFECTIVITY ASSAYS OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH-DISEASE VIRUS - CONTACT TRANSMISSION BETWEEN CATTLE AND BUFFALO (BUBALUS-BUBALIS) IN THE EARLY STAGES OF INFECTION

No differences were observed between cattle and Indian buffalo (Bubalu s bubalis) in terms of temperature, viraemia or virus replication in t he pharyngeal area, during the acute phase of foot-and-mouth disease. Like cattle, the Indian buffalo became infected and excreted virus bef ore any clinical signs of foot-and-mouth disease developed. The diseas e was transmitted from cattle to buffalo and vice versa, during the ac ute stage of infection, as if the animals had been of the same species , presumably because of their close phylogenetic relationship. There w ere more tongue lesions in the cattle than in the buffalo. Foot lesion s in the buffalo at first had a scaley appearance, but later became ve sicular. Anti-virus infection associated antigen and neutralising anti bodies were synthesised at the same time in both species and reached s imilar titres in the same period. Persistent infection in the buffalo during the first 35 days after infection was similar to that in the ca ttle.