Life sciences/Organismal biology/Animal science/Veterinary medicine/Animal health/Animal diseases/Hoof and mouth disease
A new study of foot-and-mouth disease shows that cattle afflicted with the virus are only infectious for a brief window of time—about half as long as previously thought. This finding suggests that the controversial control measures used to halt the disease’s spread, such as killing large numbers of livestock, could be reduced.
The discovery is also changing the way that scientists think about infectious diseases in general.