Transboundary Emerging and Exotic Animal Disease/ Exotic Animal Disease Practice Exam

If vesicles are found on the feet of swine only, what condition is most likely?

1. Trauma or vesicular stomatitis

2. Swine vesicular disease or foot and mouth disease

3. Vesicular stomatitis or vesicular exanthema

4. Foot and mouth disease only

The correct answer is: Swine vesicular disease or foot and mouth disease

When vesicles are observed on the feet of swine, the most likely condition is swine vesicular disease or foot and mouth disease. Both of these diseases are characterized by the development of vesicular lesions, particularly on the feet and mouth of infected animals. Swine vesicular disease is a viral illness that specifically affects pigs and can lead to the formation of vesicles on the feet, similar to foot and mouth disease. Foot and mouth disease, while it can affect a variety of cloven-hoofed animals, also presents with vesicular lesions in swine. The key aspect here is that both diseases share similar clinical signs, particularly in swine, and their presentation can often overlap, especially concerning vesicle formation. In contrast, other conditions like trauma or vesicular stomatitis, as well as vesicular exanthema, generally do not have the same specificity for swine and may involve different clinical presentations or host species. While vesicular stomatitis can affect pigs, it is more commonly associated with horses, cattle, and other species and would not typically present solely with vesicles on the feet of swine. Therefore, given the information presented, the identification of vesicles on the feet of swine strongly points to swine vesicular