Isolation and identification of the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus from the co-cultivation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with goat membrane sinovial cells.

Abstract

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus is responsive of a progressive, debilitating disease in goats having in vivo tropism for monocyte/macrophage cell lineage. These cells are present in colostrum, milk or blood. Studies demonstrate that the viral replication is activated only following differentiation of monocyte to macrophage, which increase the sensibility of viral detection. In our study it was performed the doublenested PCR technique and co-cultivation of monocyte/macrophage with membrane goat sinovial cells to detect the virus in blood, source of viral transmission. Through these methods, it was detected DNA proviral in seronegative goats, confirming that the time among infection and appearance of antibodies is variable facilitating the permanence of false-negative goats. It was observed divergences in the results between serology and PCR techniques, disagreement that is argued above in the work. The co-cultivation of monocyte/macrophage with membrane goat sinovial cells was successful; it was obtained four viral isolament, one of them from seronegative goats. In conclusion, our studies, for the first time isolate the virus circulating in our flocks, implementing an high specificity double-nested PCR technique to identify early viral infection in goats.