A recent study published in Scientific Reports highlights the challenges faced during Egypt’s 2022 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) caused by the A/Africa/G-IV variant. Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of existing local and imported FMD vaccines, both based on the A Iran-05 lineage, against this new variant. The findings revealed inadequate cross-protection, with mean r1-values of 0.235 and 0.243 for local and imported vaccines, respectively. Challenge tests indicated low protection levels (20% and 40%) against A/Africa/G-IV compared to A/Iran/05. These results underscore the necessity for updating vaccine formulations to include the A/Africa/G-IV variant, a step that has since been implemented to enhance outbreak control efforts. 
Read the full study here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88906-4
