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Pathogens
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Lentivirus Infections in Small Ruminants
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Lentivirus Infections in Small Ruminants

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2021) | Viewed by 8459

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ramsés Reina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Health Department, Institute of Agrobiotechnology (IdAB), CSIC-Government of Navarra, 31192 Navarra, Spain
Interests: development of diagnostic and immunization strategies against small ruminant lentiviruses; host–virus interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are a group of viruses, classically known to include the maedi visna and caprine encephalitis viruses, able to persistently infect monocyte/macrophage lineages of sheep, goats, and wild ruminants, inducing a multisystemic disease that affects the lungs, the central nervous system, udders, and carpal joints. Although more than 60 years have passed since the discovery of SRLVs in the late 1950s, and despite the promising results of studies that have been carried out, no vaccines or treatments are available at present. The identification of new genotypes and subtypes has enlarged the genetic and antigenic spectrum of SRLVs, assisting with serological and molecular diagnosis and stimulating research on alternative tools for the control of SRLVs, such as insights into innate immunity and the selection of resistance genes. To date, four main genotypes have been described (A, B, C, and E), with more than 25 subtypes in genotype A, 5 subtypes in genotype B, and 2 subtypes in genotypes C and E. Economic losses in the dairy and meat industries that use small ruminants are likely due to imprecise SRLV diagnosis.

For this Special Issue of Pathogens, we invite the submission of research articles, review articles, short notes, and communications on molecular and epidemiological aspects of SRLV diagnosis, virus–host interactions, innate and acquired immune responses, and vaccine development.

Dr. Ramsés Reina
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maedi visna
  • caprine arthritis encefalitis
  • ovine progressive pneumonia
  • macrophages
  • vaccine
  • diagnosis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3205 KiB  
Article
Accurate Diagnosis of Small Ruminant Lentivirus Infection Is Needed for Selection of Resistant Sheep through TMEM154 E35K Genotyping
by Hugo Ramírez, Irache Echeverría, Alfredo A. Benito, Idoia Glaria, Julio Benavides, Valentín Pérez, Damián de Andrés and Ramsés Reina
Pathogens 2021, 10(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10010083 - 19 Jan 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5843
Abstract
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) cause an incurable multiorganic disease widely spread in sheep and goats that disturbs animal welfare and production. In the absence of a vaccine, control measures have been traditionally based on early diagnosis and breeding with virus-inactivated colostrum with segregation [...] Read more.
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) cause an incurable multiorganic disease widely spread in sheep and goats that disturbs animal welfare and production. In the absence of a vaccine, control measures have been traditionally based on early diagnosis and breeding with virus-inactivated colostrum with segregation of seropositive animals. However, antigenic heterogeneity, poor antibody production due to low viral load, and single strain design of most available ELISA, pose a threat to SRLV diagnosis. Genome-wide association studies have described TMEM154 E35K polymorphism as a good genetic marker for selection of resistant animals in some American and European breeds. In this study, a multitargeted serological and virological screening of more than 500 animals from four different breeds (latxa, raza Navarra, assaf, and churra) attending to SRLV infection status was performed. Then, animals were genotyped to characterize TMEM154 E35K polymorphism. ELISA procedures, individually considered, only identified a proportion of the seropositive animals, and PCR detected a fraction of seronegative animals, globally offering different animal classifications according to SRLV infection status. TMEM154 allele frequency differed substantially among breeds and a positive association between seroprevalence and TMEM154 genotype was found only in one breed. Selection based on TMEM154 may be suitable for specific ovine breeds or SRLV strains, however generalization to the whole SRLV genetic spectrum, ovine breeds, or epidemiological situation may need further validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lentivirus Infections in Small Ruminants)
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16 pages, 7162 KiB  
Article
Molecular Characterization of Small Ruminant Lentiviruses of Subtype A5 Detected in Naturally Infected but Clinically Healthy Goats of Carpathian Breed
by Monika Olech and Jacek Kuźmak
Pathogens 2020, 9(12), 992; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9120992 - 26 Nov 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2077
Abstract
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are widespread in sheep and goats in Poland, and several subtypes were identified and molecularly characterized up to date. This is the first study that characterizes the molecular properties of A5 strains of SRLV detected in naturally infected, but [...] Read more.
Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are widespread in sheep and goats in Poland, and several subtypes were identified and molecularly characterized up to date. This is the first study that characterizes the molecular properties of A5 strains of SRLV detected in naturally infected, but clinically healthy, Carpathian goats. Segments from three genomic regions (gag, env, and LTR) were analyzed. Genetic distance, pairwise comparison, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that Polish SRLV A5 sequences are closely related to the Swiss and German A5 sequences suggesting a common origin. The epidemiological linkage was identified particularly between the small ruminants of Germany and Poland. Amino acid sequences of immunodominant regions in CA protein were well-conserved within analyzed strains; however, they showed some remarkable changes like substitution (D) to (E), at position 90 in Major Homology Region (MHR) and (T) to (S), at position 141 in epitope 3. In contrast, aa sequences of surface glycoprotein exhibited the highest variability confirming type-specific variation in SU5 epitope. Two deletions in the U3 region of A5 strains were noted: One (8 nt) located near the 5′ end of the U3 region and the other (29 nt) located in the central region of U3. Additionally, all A5 strains had specific deletion (10 nt) in the R region. Furthermore, we did not find a correlation between copies of the CAAAT motif and clinical manifestation in infected animals. These data showed some remarkable features in the viral genome of A5 strains, which may be related to the attenuated phenotype in vivo, characterized by the lack of any clinical signs in infected goats. Certainly, more studies are required to support the hypothesis that these A5 viruses are of low pathogenicity for goats. We want to focus our future studies on the analysis of the whole genomes of these isolates and their biological properties, as well as on clinicopathological studies of goats infected by A5 SRLV, aiming to clarify the pathogenic potential of these viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lentivirus Infections in Small Ruminants)
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