THE FOOT-AND-MOUTH-DISEASE VIRUS TYPE-O OUTBREAK OF 1992 IS NOT RELATED TO VACCINE STRAIN (O R2/75)/

Vaccination is the only pragmatic approach to control foot and mouth d isease in India. Strict quality control measures are essential to supp ly potent vaccine to the field application, in addition to monitoring the performance of the vaccine in the field. During the process of mon itoring, an outbreak of FMD in vaccinated animals caused by type ''O'' virus in Tanjavur district of Tamil Nadu and a type ''O'' virus from unvaccinated herd of Karnataka were studied. Field isolates and vaccin e virus were sequenced and analyzed. Data indicated that the virus fro m the outbreak in vaccinated cattle was a variant which could escape n eutralization by antibodies against vaccine virus.