Prevalence and Serotype Distribution of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Virus in Asian Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Background: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious transboundary List A infectious disease of domesticated and wild cloven-hoofed animals, causing considerable economic impact through production losses and trade bans on livestock. Objective: This study aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of FMD and the distribution of FMD virus serotypes identified in Asian countries from 2008 to 2025. Methods: A systematic search for studies on the prevalence of FMD in domesticated and wild animals was performed via PubMed, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, published between January 1, 2008, and March 1, 2025. Studies were selected according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence was estimated using a random-effect meta-analysis model in Stata v18.0 because significant heterogeneity was observed across studies. Results: The overall pooled prevalence of FMD in Asian countries was 42.43% (95% CI: 35.55%-49.46%), with significant variation across species, countries, diagnostic techniques, years, and disease occurrence. Buffalo (74.30%) was the most affected species, followed by sheep (54.95%), cattle (51.6%), pigs (43.83%), and goats (15.62%). The highest pooled estimates were observed for outbreaks (51.48%), RT-PCR (54.13%), Bangladesh (72.86%), and vesicles as sample types (96.77%). Among the seven (7) serotypes, serotype O is prevalent in Asia, followed by A and Asia-1. Although rare in the region, SAT-2 has been detected only in Iraq among Asian countries. Conclusion: FMD is endemic in most Asian countries. FMD, a List A disease, severely impacts the international trade of live animals and animal products due to its transboundary nature. Effective prevention, control, and eradication strategies, including strengthened surveillance, timely reporting, and the development of multivalent vaccines to achieve global FMD eradication, are essential.