The prevalence of antibodies to the viruses of foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and malignant catarrhal fever was determined in various species of domestic and domesticated wild ruminants on a ranch in the semi-arid zone of south-eastern Kenya.
Antibody to foot-and-mouth disease virus was found in buffalo (Syncerus caffer), eland (Taurotragus oryx), cattle (Bos indicus), sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus). None was found in oryx (Oryx beisa) and camels (Camelus dromedarius). The titres in eland and buffalo were due to natural infection and in cattle to vaccination and infection. Antibody to rinderpest virus was found in buffalo, eland, oryx, cattle, camel, sheep and goats. Most of these were vaccinated previously. Antibody to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus was found in cattle but not in buffalo, eland, oryx and camels. Antibody to malignant catarrhal fever was not found in any of the species tested.
An attempt was made to isolate foot-and-mouth disease virus from oesophageal-pharyngeal samples of four buffalo before a FMD outbreak and from four buffalo, 12 eland and 50 cattle 6-10 months after the outbreak. Foot-and-mouth disease virus was isolated from cattle 10 months after the outbreak but not from buffalo or eland.
Since foot-and-mouth disease is of major importance in cattle farming in Kenya, in the case of mixed farming with wild herbivores, both wild and domestic ruminants should be vaccinated. Likewise, it is recommended that all ruminants be vaccinated against rinderpest.