Occurrence of caprine leucocyte class I and II antigens in Saanen goats affected by caprine arthritis (CAE)

Heartwater: A situation report of the Southern district of Botswana from 2017 to 2019

Heartwater is a tick-borne haemoparasitic disease that can limit agro-business expansion in Botswana. It poses a threat to national food security due to low animal production as well as livestock morbidity and mortality. This report gives a snapshot view of heartwater in the Southern district of Botswana. Ixodid ticks parasitizing livestock in four Southern sub-districts of Botswana were collected and identified using morphological and molecular methods. A wide distribution of Amblyomma hebraeum in all four Southern sub-districts was revealed. The annual number of heartwater cases across the Southern district of Botswana was determined from veterinary clinical case reports and confirmed through Giemsa-stained brain smears. A concerning gradual annual increase in heartwater cases was shown in the Moshupa sub-district - a hardveld terrain with rock outcrops where the vector thrives. Goats were affected most (55%) by heartwater followed by sheep (37%) and then cattle (8%). Farmers were interviewed on the management of the heartwater burden within their respective sub-districts and they reported that their animals were affected by heartwater despite 17 out of the 27 farmers interviewed attempting to control vectors through acaricide use. The presented heartwater situation warrants further investigation of the prevalence of heartwater and the effectiveness of existing disease control interventions in the disease-endemic Southern district of Botswana.

Achievements of an eradication programme against caprine arthritis encephalitis virus in South Tyrol, Italy

Small ruminant lentivirus infections in goats affect both production and animal welfare. This represents a threat to the qualitative and quantitative growth of goat farming, recently observed in mountainous regions such as the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol (Italy). To monitor and eradicate the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus in this goat population, a compulsory eradication campaign was launched, based on a strict census of small ruminants and yearly serological testing of all animals, followed by the consequent culling of seropositive individuals. The campaign succeeded in completely eliminating cases of clinical disease in goats, while drastically reducing the seroprevalence at the herd as well as individual animal level. The serological outcome of the introduced control measures was determined using commercially available ELISA kits, demonstrating their suitability for use in this type of campaign, aimed at reducing seroprevalence as well as clinical manifestations of these infections. However, this clear success is diminished by the failure to achieve a complete eradication of these viruses. The reasons leading to the observed tailing phenomenon and the occurrence of new infections in already sanitised flocks are discussed and implementation of further measures are proposed.

The Application of Genomic Technologies to Investigate the Inheritance of Economically Important Traits in Goats

Goat genomics has evolved at a low pace because of a lack of molecular tools and sufficient investment. Whilst thousands and hundreds of quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified in cattle and sheep, respectively, about nine genome scans have been performed in goats dealing with traits as conformation, growth, fiber quality, resistance to nematodes, and milk yield and composition. In contrast, a great effort has been devoted to the characterization of candidate genes and their association with milk, meat, and reproduction phenotypes. In this regard, causal mutations have been identified in the αS1-casein gene that has a strong effect on milk composition and the PIS locus that is linked to intersexuality and polledness. In recent times, the development of massive parallel sequencing technologies has allowed to build a reference genome for goats as well as to monitor the expression of mRNAs and microRNAs in a broad array of tissues and experimental conditions. Besides, the recent design of a 52K SNP chip is expected to have a broad impact in the analysis of the genetic architecture of traits of economic interest as well as in the study of the population structure of goats at a worldwide scale.

Retroviral infections in sheep and goats: small ruminant lentiviruses and host interaction

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) are members of the Retrovirus family comprising the closely related Visna/Maedi Virus (VMV) and the Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus (CAEV), which infect sheep and goats. Both infect cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage and cause lifelong infections. Infection by VMV and CAEV can lead to Visna/Maedi (VM) and Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis (CAE) respectively, slow progressive inflammatory diseases primarily affecting the lungs, nervous system, joints and mammary glands. VM and CAE are distributed worldwide and develop over a period of months or years, always leading to the death of the host, with the consequent economic and welfare implications. Currently, the control of VM and CAE relies on the control of transmission and culling of infected animals. However, there is evidence that host genetics play an important role in determining Susceptibility/Resistance to SRLV infection and disease progression, but little work has been performed in small ruminants. More research is necessary to understand the host-SRLV interaction.

Immunization against small ruminant lentiviruses

Multisystemic disease caused by Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLV) in sheep and goats leads to production losses, to the detriment of animal health and welfare. This, together with the lack of treatments, has triggered interest in exploring different strategies of immunization to control the widely spread SRLV infection and, also, to provide a useful model for HIV vaccines. These strategies involve inactivated whole virus, subunit vaccines, DNA encoding viral proteins in the presence or absence of plasmids encoding immunological adjuvants and naturally or artificially attenuated viruses. In this review, we revisit, comprehensively, the immunization strategies against SRLV and analyze this double edged tool individually, as it may contribute to either controlling or enhancing virus replication and/or disease.

Expanding possibilities for intervention against small ruminant lentiviruses through genetic marker-assisted selective breeding

Small ruminant lentiviruses include members that infect sheep (ovine lentivirus [OvLV]; also known as ovine progressive pneumonia virus/maedi-visna virus) and goats (caprine arthritis encephalitis virus [CAEV]). Breed differences in seroprevalence and proviral concentration of OvLV had suggested a strong genetic component in susceptibility to infection by OvLV in sheep. A genetic marker test for susceptibility to OvLV has been developed recently based on the TMEM154 gene with validation data from over 2,800 sheep representing nine cohorts. While no single genotype has been shown to have complete resistance to OvLV, consistent association in thousands of sheep from multiple breeds and management conditions highlight a new strategy for intervention by selective breeding. This genetic marker-assisted selection (MAS) has the potential to be a useful addition to existing viral control measures. Further, the discovery of multiple additional genomic regions associated with susceptibility to or control of OvLV suggests that additional genetic marker tests may be developed to extend the reach of MAS in the future. This review will cover the strengths and limitations of existing data from host genetics as an intervention and outline additional questions for future genetic research in sheep, goats, small ruminant lentiviruses, and their host-pathogen interactions.

A Gag peptide encompassing B- and T-cell epitopes of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus functions as modular carrier peptide

Short synthetic peptides are important tools in biomedical research permitting to generate hapten specific polyclonal sera for analytical purposes or functional studies. In this paper we provide proof of principle that a peptide located in a highly conserved portion of the Gag protein of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus and carrying an immunodominant T helper cell epitope functions as an efficient carrier peptide, mediating a strong antibody response to a peptidic hapten encompassing a well-characterized B cell epitope of Env. The carrier and hapten peptides were collinearly synthesized permutating their molecular arrangement. While the antibody response to the hapten was similar for both constructs, the antibody response to a B cell epitope overlapping the T helper cell epitope of the Gag carrier peptide was considerably different. This permits a modular use of the carrier peptide to generate antibody directed exclusively to the hapten peptide or a strong humoral response to both carrier- and hapten-peptide. Finally, we have mapped the epitopes involved in this polarized antibody response and discussed the potential immunological implications.

Sequence analysis of goat major histocompatibility complex class I genes

The polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes has been often involved in the resistance/susceptibility to a variety of infectious and parasitic diseases. In this work, the complete sequence of the coding region of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I gene in goats (Cahi-N*01701, GenBank accession no. EF569216) is reported. The length of the corresponding open reading frame was 1,077 bp encoding a mature protein of 337 amino acids. Sequencing of additional clones allowed us to identify a second locus (Cahi-NC4*50301, GenBank accession no. EF569217) that, after performing a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, happened to cluster with a bovine non-classical MHC class I gene. Nonclassical MHC class I molecules display low levels of polymorphism and fulfill an important immunoregulatory role in the placenta to inhibit maternal rejection. This initial description of the gene content of the goat MHC class I region will contribute to the characterization, in this ruminant species, of one of the most important genetic factors in the elicitation of innate and adaptive immune responses against pathogens.

Vaccination with a T-cell-priming Gag peptide of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus enhances virus replication transiently in vivo

CD4+ T cells are involved in several immune response pathways used to control viral infections. In this study, a group of genetically defined goats was immunized with a synthetic peptide known to encompass an immunodominant helper T-cell epitope of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). Fifty-five days after challenge with the molecularly cloned CAEV strain CO, the vaccinated animals had a higher proviral load than the controls. The measurement of gamma interferon and interleukin-4 gene expression showed that these cytokines were reliable markers of an ongoing immune response but their balance did not account for more or less efficient control of CAEV replication. In contrast, granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor appeared to be a key cytokine that might support virus replication in the early phase of infection. The observation of a potential T-cell-mediated enhancement of virus replication supports other recent findings showing that lentivirus-specific T cells can be detrimental to the host, suggesting caution in designing vaccine candidates.

Extensive rearing hinders Maedi-Visna Virus (MVV) infection in sheep

Maedi-Visna Virus (MVV) seroprevalence and its relationship with housing and mode of rearing of replacement ewe-lambs was investigated in 38 non-randomly selected sheep-flocks in Spain. They included extensive lamb-producing Manchega cross-bred flocks raised almost permanently at pasture, semi-intensive Latxa dairy flocks housed 2-8 months/year and intensively raised Assaf dairy flocks housed most time and at higher stocking density in less ventilated buildings than other flocks. Most flocks raised replacement lambs naturally with their dams until weaning and as a separate flock thereafter until lambing at one year of age. Seroprevalence (95% confidence intervals) was 77%, 25% and 5% (4-6) in intensive, semi-intensive and extensive flocks, respectively and the median (interquartile range) flock-seroprevalence was 82% (66-94) in intensive flocks, 31% (14-31) in semi-intensive flocks and 4% (0-7) in extensive flocks. Seroprevalence was lowest in one year-old sheep and increased to flock levels during the year after introduction into the adult flock in most intensive flocks and more gradually in other flocks. Adult flock seroprevalence was associated with housing time but this relationship was not evident within a particular rearing system, indicating that other unknown factors are critical in horizontal MVV-transmission. Low seroprevalence in extensive flocks further supports previous indications that lactogenic MVV-infection is relatively inefficient and horizontal transmission is necessary to ensure long-term maintenance of MVV and this could explain that MVV has not been reported from countries with mainly extensively reared sheep such as Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, it indicates that MVV-control in extensive and semi-intensive flocks can be simple and inexpensive.

Analysis of the antibody response to an immunodominant epitope of the envelope glycoprotein of a lentivirus and its diagnostic potential

The envelope glycoprotein of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) is a major target of the humoral immune response and contains several linear B-cell epitopes. We amplified and sequenced the genomic segment encoding the SU5 antigenic site of the envelope glycoprotein of several SRLV field isolates. With synthetic peptides based on the deduced amino acid sequences of SU5 in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we have (i) proved the immunodominance of this region regardless of its high variability, (ii) defined the epitopes encompassed by SU5, (iii) illustrated the rapid and peculiar kinetics of seroconversion to this antigenic site, and (iv) shown the rapid and strong maturation of the avidity of the anti-SU5 antibody. Finally, we demonstrated the modular diagnostic potential of SU5 peptides. Under Swiss field conditions, the SU5 ELISA was shown to detect the majority of infected animals and, when applied in a molecular epidemiological context, to permit rapid phylogenetic classification of the infecting virus.

Viral load, organ distribution, histopathological lesions, and cytokine mRNA expression in goats infected with a molecular clone of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) is a lentivirus of goats that causes persistent infection characterized by the appearance of inflammatory lesions in various organs. To define the sites of persistence, 5 goats were infected with a molecular clone of CAEV, and the viral load was monitored by real-time-PCR and RT-PCR in different sites 8 years after infection. The lymph nodes proved to be an important virus reservoir, with moderate virus replication relative to what is reported for lentiviruses of primates. Mammary gland and milk cells were preferred sites of viral replication. The viral load varied significantly between animals, which points to an important role of the genetic background. We found a clear association between occurrence of histopathological lesions and viral load in specific sites. The mRNA expression analysis of several cytokines did not reveal differences between animals that could explain the considerable individual variations in viral load observed.

The MHC-haplotype influences primary, but not memory, immune responses to an immunodominant peptide containing T- and B-cell epitopes of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus Gag protein

In this report, we describe a short peptide, containing a T helper- and a B-cell epitope, located in the Gag protein of the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). This T-cell epitope is capable of inducing a robust T-cell proliferative response in vaccinated goats with different genetic backgrounds and to provide help for a strong antibody response to the B-cell epitope, indicating that it may function as a universal antigen-carrier for goat vaccines. The primary immune response of goats homozygous for MHC class I and II genes showed an MHC-dependent partitioning in rapid-high and slow-low responses, whereas the memory immune response was strong in both groups, demonstrating that a vaccine based on this immunodominant T helper epitope is capable to overcome genetic differences.

Mucosal immunization of sheep with a Maedi-Visna virus (MVV) env DNA vaccine protects against early MVV productive infection

Gene gun mucosal DNA immunization of sheep with a plasmid expressing the env gene of Maedi-Visna virus (MVV) was used to examine the protection against MVV infection in sheep from a naturally infected flock. For immunization, sheep were primed with a pcDNA plasmid (pcDNA-env) encoding the Env glycoproteins of MVV and boosted with combined pcDNA-env and pCR3.1-IFN-gamma plasmid inoculations. The pcDNA plasmid used in the control group contained the lacZ coding sequences instead of the env gene. Within a month post-challenge, the viral load in the vaccinated group was lower (p < or = 0.05) and virus was only detected transiently compared with the control group. Furthermore, 2 months later, neutralizing antibodies (NtAb) were detected in all the control animals and none of the vaccinated animals (p < or = 0.01). These results demonstrated a significant early protective effect of this immunization strategy against MVV infection that restricts the virus replication following challenge in the absence of NtAb production. This vaccine protective effect against MVV infection disappeared after two years post-challenge, when active replication of MVV challenge strain was observed. Protection conferred by the vaccine could not be explained by OLA DRB1 allele or genotype differences. Most of the individuals were DRB1 heterozygous and none was totally resistant to infection.

Structural characterization of the caprine major histocompatibility complex class II DQB1 (Cahi-DQB1) gene

The major histocompatibility class II genes have been extensively characterized in sheep and cattle, whereas in goats the only class II genes that have been completely sequenced are DRA and DRB. Herewith, we report the complete coding sequence of the goat DQB1 gene. This gene has a single open reading frame of 786bp, being organized in five exons and displaying 95-97% nucleotide identity with its bovine and ovine cDNA orthologous sequences. The structural features of the goat DQB1 molecule are well conserved with regard to its mammalian orthologues. Conserved glycosilation sites (beta19) and cysteine residues (beta15, beta79, beta117, beta173) forming disulfide bridges have been identified in the goat DQB1 molecule. The alignment of several Cahi-DQB1 exon 2 sequences has allowed to identify five different allelic variants Neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis of caprine, ovine and bovine DQB sequences has allowed to ascertain that the five Cahi-DQB1 alleles we have found correspond to three different allelic lineages. We have identified fifteen polymorphic positions in the Cahi-DQB1 molecule, but only six of them are located in the peptide binding region. The high degree of conservation of these polymorphic sites located outside the peptide binding region in cattle and sheep suggests that they might play a functional role in antigen-presentation to CD4+ T cells.

Transmission and control implications of seroconversion to Maedi-Visna virus in Basque dairy-sheep flocks

A retrospective analysis of seroconversion to Maedi-Visna virus (MVV) was carried out for 10 infected semi-intensively reared dairy-sheep flocks that were tested annually between 1994 and 1999. Four of the flocks raised replacement lambs artificially with bovine colostrum and milk replacement to avoid lactogenic MVV infection but did not prevent aerosol contact between replacements and other sheep in the flock. Flock culling percentages ranged between 14 and 25% and in eight flocks the number of sheep that seroconverted was similar to or lower than the number of sheep culled--suggesting that incidence could be reduced by culling seropositive sheep without increasing average culling percentages. Random-effects logistic regression indicated that seroconversion was associated positively with increasing contact with infected sheep and with lifetime MV-serological status of the dam (used as a proxy measure of genetic susceptibility), but not with mode of rearing pre-weaning (artificially or with a seropositive or seronegative dam). Our results indicate that when conditions allow efficient horizontal transmission, there is no evidence that lactogenic infection increases the risk of MV infection and that there is an important inheritable component of disease resistance or susceptibility.

Serological and biochemical detection of B-cell antigens in goats

The production of B-cell specific alloantisera by lymphocyte transfusion between class I matched, MLR positive goats is described. Furthermore, the usefulness of preceding IEF typing is demonstrated in the selection of immunization pairs. After suitable absorptions and cluster analysis the detected B-cell specific antigens were designated BeD1-BeD6. The specificity BeD3 could also be detected by two class II-specific murine anti-H2 monoclonal antibodies. IEF class II typing of 34 animals gave concordant results between the two techniques. One additional allelic variant could be detected by IEF typing. The detected products segregated in close linkage to the earlier described caprine class I antigens. One recombinant has been found in 78 offspring. The reactivity of cells in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) was correlated with the compatibility of the test cells for their B-cell specific antigens. Three of the B-cell specific sera were characterized by immunoprecipitation. The precipitated antigens corresponded in molecular weight to MHC class II products as described in other species indicating that the here described caprine products are of class II nature.