A Meta-Analysis of the Preventive Potential of Mucosal Vaccines for Foot and Mouth Disease

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral illness that infects cloven-hoofed animals and causes enormous economic losses across the globe. Vaccination is an important technique for reducing FMD epidemics. Recent research indicates that in addition to humoral immunity, the mucosal immunity plays a significant role in enhancing the protective effect of FMD vaccinations by avoiding viremia and reducing virus shedding. This meta-analysis aims to assess the role of mucosal immunity in combating FMD with vaccination. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, ResearchGate, and Science Direct for studies published till May 2024. Out of 869 articles retrieved, step-wise inclusion and exclusion criteria was applied to filter out studies on the role of mucosal immunity induced by FMD vaccines. Research based on cohort, and case-control studies evaluating the effect of mucosal immunity on the effectiveness of the FMD vaccination were eligible. Accordingly, we evaluated evidence from 12 shortlisted studies involving 645 animals (mice, guinea pigs, cattle, and steers) with FMD vaccine. Statistical analysis was conducted by R (4.4.0) software and R studio using random-effects models and prediction intervals to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and proportions. A significant relationship was observed between improved mucosal immunity and lower FMD cases (FMD vaccine positive [95% CI was 0.72;0.91] with 0.82 proportion while in FMD vaccine negative [95% CI was 0.00; 0.06] with 0.03 proportion, although some heterogeneity was observed in FMD vaccine positive [I2= 92%,