Serological investigation of lentiviruses of small ruminants in the microregions of Alto Médio Canindé, Picos and Floriano, Piauí state, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Small ruminant lentiviruses (LV) is the generic term for the caprine arthritis-encephalitis and Maedi-Visna viruses, which belong to the Retroviridae family, Orthoretrovirinae subfamily, Lentivirus genus. The virus infects goats and sheep, causing slow course of disease with inflammatory, chronic and degenerative lesions, which can reach several organs, provoking cachexia and death. Infected animals eliminate the virus mainly through secretions and excretions and transmit it especially in close contact situations. There is no treatment to date. The control is based on segregated creation, management and sacrifice of the positive. This infectious agent has been reported in various parts of the world and is responsible for significant economic losses. It was verified in several states of Brazil and there are seroepidemiological data in southeast and southwest mesoregions of Piauí, Brazil. This research aimed to perform serological survey to investigate the occurrence of antibodies to LV in sheep and goats, in the regions of Alto Médio Canindé, Picos and Floriano. So, 1,280 and 1,360 serum goats and sheep samples, respectively, were collected, coming from 20 municipalities, distributed in the 3 microregions. The number of samples was proportional to the actual herd of each municipality. The samples were analyzed using the agar gel immunodiffusion test. None of the surveyed sera reacted positively, though there is a null seroprevalence. It was emphasized the importance of implementing a rigorous control program in order to prevent the introduction and spread of this infectious agent in these microregions.