These include cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, hedgehogs, rats, deer and some zoo animals. The virus is highly infectious and spreads easily both by direct contact with infected animals or by airborne droplet spread.
Wind can carry the virus particles very long distances - possibly a hundred miles or more.
The infected animal develops a fever and then blisters, mainly in the mouth or on the feet. General symptoms include going off their feed and lameness. Cattle show a reduction in milk yield and may develop longer-lasting ill health. The infection does not usually prove fatal to animals, except perhaps in the case of the very young. That occurred in 1966 and the symptoms were those of a mild flu-like illness.