Abstract
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus is the type species of the Aphtovirus genus of Picornaviridae family. The first description of the disease in cattle probably appeared in paper of Fracastoro from Verona, 1546; first human infection might have been described by Valentini in 1695.
Loeffler and Frosch demonstrated the viral origin of the disease in 1897 and 1898. Two serotypes (A and O) of FMD virus were identified in 1922 and vaccine against FMD was introduced before World War II.
FMD is considered as a zoonosis, however, its appearance in human is very rare. The last described case of FMD in man in Britain was in 1966.
Laboratory tests for diagnosis in human are the same as for animals. Differential diagnosis contains hand, foot and mouth disease and herpetic gingivostomatitis.
The impact of animal slaughtering accompanying outbreaks on psychological health status of farmers seems to be more important than risk of human infection with FMD itself