Seropositivity for Maedi-Visna virus in sheep in Porto Acre city – Western Amazon, Brazil

Abstract

Lentivirosis of small ruminants (LVPR) are chronic and degenerative infectious diseases, caused by Lentivirus, associated with numerous losses such as: drop in meat and milk production, predisposition to secondary infections, expenses with veterinary assistance and, even, early disposal of animals. In the northern region of Brazil, the epidemiological situation is poorly understood. Thus, this study aimed to determine the seropositivity of sheep for Lentivirus in Porto Acre city, Western Amazon, Brazil. 122 blood samples from sheep were collected and as a diagnostic method, agarose gel immunodiffusion was used, using the p28 protein of the capsid as antigen. The seropositivity of the sheep to the test was 8.2% (10/122). In 80% (4/5) of the investigated properties, the presence of seropositive animals was detected. It is worth noting that the acquisition of small ruminants from other states likely represented a risk to sheep health in the municipality of Porto Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil. It is concluded that there is a need for more systematic investigations on the prevalence of LVPR in the state of Acre.