| Vesicular exanthema of swine is a disease that
has been eradicated from the world and now the virus only exists in a few freezers in
various locations. The causative agent is a member of the genus Calicivirus in the
family Caliciviridae. Clinically, the disease was very similar to FMD, but affected
only pigs. It is thought that the virus arose from a marine calicivirus present in the
Pacific Ocean. Feeding of fish to pigs resulted in the emergence of the disease, as the
marine calicivirus adapted to the pig population. Diagnosis was done by viral isolation
and/or detection of antibodies. |
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