Trial location and design
This clinical trial was conducted between the 5th of
November and the 5th of December 2019 in Ngaoundere
II, Ngaoundere III and Martap subdivisions in the Vina Division of the
Adamawa plateau. Around 40% of the cattle population of Cameroon is
located in the Adamawa region (MINEPIA, 2013). Ngaoundere is the capital
of the Adamawa region, with geo-referenced coordinates between 6° 40’ 0”
and 7° 30’ 0” north latitude and between 13° 20’ 0” and 14° 10’ 0”’east
longitude (Fig. 1). An FMD outbreak in the municipalities of Ngaoundere
II, Ngaoundere III and Martap was advised to the lead author by a field
technician in Ngaoundere on the 4th of November 2019. The following day,
the outbreak areas were accessed, and the treatment trials commenced
immediately. Two teams of two members each were formed to enable animal
treatments and follow-up of the treated cases. Participating farms were
selected following demonstration of owner willingness to participate,
and included: Horé Mayanga, Borongo, Tchabal Baouro and Mbidjoro. The
GPS data of all farms was recorded.
As Moore-Oxy® (manufactured in China; MO) was the reference antibiotic
commonly used by farmers to manage clinical FMD in the study area, it
was decided to compare the efficacy of this formulation on the healing
of FMD lesions with that of TS. As MO is administered intra-muscularly
and TS is administered topically, on each farm, three animals were
matched by age and breed, with similar FMD clinical presentations; with
one treated with MO, one with TS and the third left untreated. This
created 12 sets of cattle for this comparative clinical trial on the
different farms.