Foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious vesicular disease affecting both domesticated and wild cloven‐hooved animals. Caused by FMD virus (FMDV), FMD affects over 100 countries worldwide, with disease distribution roughly reflecting economic development (Jamal and Belsham, 2013). Although the case‐fatality rate of FMD is generally below 5%, the disease can be economically devastating: the annual global impact of FMD in terms of production losses and vaccination in endemic regions alone is estimated between US$ 6.5 and 21 billion (Knight‐Jones and Rushton, 2013). Furthermore, endemic infection represents a constant threat for FMD‐free countries, with outbreaks incurring severe economic losses: for example the UK 2001 outbreak is estimated to have cost the national economy US$ 9.2 billion (FAO, 2002). Early identification of FMDV in susceptible host populations is essential to minimize the impacts of FMD. Confirmation of FMD usually occurs at reference laboratories (OIE, 2012), although transport of specimens to these facilities can delay rapid real‐time decision making. The development of technologies to provide rapid, sensitive and in situ FMD diagnosis is therefore an ongoing research priority.

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