[Laboratory diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular disease in the years 1962-1988 in Greece].

During 26 years (1962-1988) 499 samples from FMD-suspicious cases were examined in Greece. These materials came from 348 (70%) cattle, 95 (19%) pigs and 56 (11%) sheep and goats. The cattle with 197 (72.4%) positive cases seems to play the most important roll in FMD. The different isolated virus types belonged in 60 cases to type A, in 187 to type O, in 14 to type C, in 6 to type SAT 1 and in 2 cases to type ASIA 1, respectively. SVD was isolated in 3 cases from the same area and at the same time. Most samples have been examined by means of CF, cell culture, unweaned mice or by a combined way of these assays. From 363 samples have examined: A) 148 by CF, B) 32 by CF and cell culture, C) 64 by CF and baby mice D) 80 by CF, cell culture baby mice E) 8 by cell culture, F) 18 in cell culture and baby mice and G) 13 by baby mice. Form these samples were found positive in the case A) 74 (50%), E) 3 (38%) and none in case G. On the other hand, the correlation of the positive samples in combined assays were in case B) 9:21, C) 9:1, D) 8:22:16 and the case F) 3:2 respectively. The D case shows that CF detected less positive cases than the cell culture did. For a reliable labor diagnosis of FMD every sample must be examined by more than one method.