Dear Colleages,

Caprine arthritis encephalitis and Maedi-Visna are produced by two very similar lentiviruses which are collectively known as Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLV). SRLV infection in sheep and goats is widespread all over the world and its importance appears to be increasing in some areas. However, in many countries it is not yet considered a relevant issue as it does not cause high mortality and it is not subjected to official control plans, though both diseases are notifiable to the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE). In addition, the productive losses they cause on farms are not very high, although they are maintained over time and the infection often goes unnoticed. It is increasingly evident that more attention needs to be paid to this disease, including the improvement of diagnostic methods that allow the early detection of infected animals, which would allow for more appropriate and realistic management and control plans. To achieve this, there are still a number of unclear aspects of the SRLV infection, aimed at: a) identifying new circulating strains of SRLVs, their geographical distribution and their ability to cross inter-species barrier; b) better understanding the pathogenesis of the different strains of SRLVs, their relationship to the genetic basis of the host and the interaction with the immune response; c) improved knowledge of the risk factors that favour the spread of infection on farms and the onset of disease; d) improving molecular and serological diagnostic methods to allow the detection of all infected animals at an early stage, e) studying the role that wild ruminants in close contact to domestic small ruminants can play in SRLV epidemiology; f) gathering data on the actual extent of SRLVs infection in sheep and goat-producing areas, and how it affects the production of both species; g) addressing new strategies for developing safer and more effective vaccines.

In this special issue, review articles and original research covering the current knowledge or the advances of any of these aspects on Small Ruminant Lentivirus infection are welcome.

Dr. Ana Doménech
Dr. Esperanza Gómez-Lucía
Guest Editors

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• Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV)
• Maedi-Visna
• Caprine arthritis encephalitis
• Pathogenesis
• Diagnosis
• Production losses
• Management and control
• Vaccines