Pathology and Epidemiology of Lentiviral Infection of Goats

Abstract

Lentiviral infections occur in goats throughout the world, and infected animals remain infected for life. Unlike the lentiviruses of sheep, goat lentiviruses produce clinical signs in both kid goats and adults, but the clinical syndromes differ greatly between the two age groups. Leukoencephalomyelitis is the primary manifestation of disease in kid goats, but lentivirus infected adult goats typically have a chronic, progressive arthritis. In both age groups, subclinical disease is common. Chronic interstitial pneumonia and chronic mastitis are seen in infected goats as they are in the lentiviral infections of sheep. Immunosuppression of infected goats does not alter viral replication, and lesions do not occur in infected immunosuppressed goats. Lentiviral infections of goats and sheep share several pathological, as well as epidemiological similarities, but they differ primarily in that clinical expression of disease in goats occur in both young and adult animals.