Which species is most likely to serve as an amplifying host for Foot-and-Mouth Disease?

• A. Sheep
• B. Pig
• C. Water Buffalo
• D. Deer

Answer: (B)

In Foot-and-Mouth Disease, an amplifying host is one that, once infected, produces very high levels of virus and sheds it abundantly, driving rapid and widespread transmission. Pigs fit this role best because the virus replicates intensely in their tissues and they shed large amounts of virus in saliva, vesicular fluid, and especially in aerosols from the respiratory tract. That aerosol shedding enables the virus to spread quickly within and between herds, even over distances, making outbreaks accelerate once pigs are involved. Other species listed may become infected, but their viral shedding is typically lower and less capable of sustaining explosive transmission, so they are less effective as amplifiers. Therefore, the pig is the most likely host to amplify Foot-and-Mouth Disease.