Serosurveillance of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle, buffalo and goat population in Union Territory of Puducherry, India.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals and remains a major threat to livestock productivity in India. The present study was undertaken to assess the serological status of FMD virus infection among bovines and goats in the Union Territory of Puducherry, India, with emphasis on the potential role of goats as sentinel species in FMD surveillance. A total of 1,608 serum samples, comprising 828 from goats and 780 from bovines were collected from the four enclaves of Puducherry, namely Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam. The samples were tested using ICAR-NIFMD r3AB3 NSP iELISA to detect antibodies against the 3AB non-structural protein of FMDV. The overall NSP antibody seropositivity was 5.43% (45/828) in goats and 11.15% (87/780) in bovines, suggesting low level virus circulation of subclinical nature in the absence of reported outbreaks. Among districts, Yanam reported the highest positivity rate of 16.1% (5/31), followed by Puducherry with 6.93% (38/548), Karaikal with 0.95% (2/210) while no positive samples were detected in Mahe 0.0% (0/39), whereas in bovines (cattle and buffalo), Puducherry reported the highest positivity rate of 13.58% (72/150), followed by Karaikal with 8.62% (15/174). No positive samples were detected in Mahe 0.0% (0/30) and Yanam 0.0% (0/46). The results highlight localized clustering of infection and heterogeneity in exposure within and between enclaves and species. NSP antibody detection in goats from regions without reported outbreaks reflects silent viral exposure, providing field-level evidence of virus circulation. This finding demonstrates the potential usefulness of goats as sentinel animals for FMD surveillance in endemic settings for freedom from virus circulation. The study underscores the need for incorporating small ruminants into routine FMD surveillance and strengthening multispecies monitoring to support India's long-term FMD control and eradication goals.