Diagnostic Approach to the Paška ovca Herds Infected with Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus Couse of Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Ovcji plucni adenokarcinom je transmisivni plucni tumor ovaca uzrokovan jaagsiekte sheep retrovirusom. JSRV inducira neoplasticnu transformaciju alveolarnog i bronhijalnog epitela, što rezultira okupacijom plucnog parenhima tumorskim masama. Inkubacija je duga i ovca u tom periodu izlucuje virus u okoliš, sve dok masa tumora ne naraste do dimenzija koje ovcu uguše. Postupcima oplemenjivanja genoma paške ovce JSRV je unesen na Pag i danas predstavlja enzootsko podrucje ove bolesti u Hrvatskoj. Prvi molekularni dokaz virusa iz tkiva adenokarcinoma, te prevalencija uginuca od 1 do 8 % , takoder upucuju da JSRV vec duže vrijeme perzistira na Pagu. Temeljem patoanatomske i histopatološke pretrage možemo zakljuciti da Paška ovca, kao i vecina svjetskih pasmina, boluje od klasicnog oblika OPA. Bolje upoznavanje veterinara i ovcara s problematikom vezanom uz ovu bolest jedini je nacin uspostave kontrole i sustavnog nadzora OPA-e u našoj zemlji.Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma is a transmissible lung tumor of sheep, caused by jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus. JSRV induces neoplastic transformation of alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells, resulting in the occupation of the lung parenchyma by tumor masses. Incubation period is long and during this period sheep excretes virus in the environment, until the tumor mass grows big enough to suffocate the sheep. JSRV has infected the island of Pag during the breeding improvement programs and Pag today represents an enzootic area of this disease in Croatia. The first molecular evidence of the virus isolated from the adenocarcinoma tissue and mortality prevalence in the range of 1 to 8% also indicate that JSRV persisted on island of Pag for a longer period of time. Based on pathoanatomic and histopathological examinations sheep from Pag, like most of the sheep breeds in the world, suffer from the clasicall form of OPA. Better educational program for veterinarians and sheep farmers is the only way to establish control of this desease in our country