Vet. Res. 35 (2004) 257-274
DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2004014

Routes of transmission and consequences of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) infection and eradication schemes

Ernst Peterhans^a, Tim Greenland^b, Juan Badiola^c, Gordon Harkiss^d, Giuseppe Bertoni^a, Beatriz Amorena^e, Muriel Eliaszewicz^f, Ramon A. Juste^g, Renate Kraßnig^h, Jean-Pierre Lafontⁱ, Patrick Lenihan^j, Gudmundur Pétursson^k, Geoff Pritchard^l, John Thorley^m, Christian Vituⁿ, Jean-François Mornex^b and Michel Pépin<sup>n

a</sup>  Institute of Veterinary Virology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
^b  UMR 754, INRA-ENV Lyon-Université Lyon 1, Lyon Cedex 07, France
^c  University of Zaragoza, Spain
^d  University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
^e  Institute of Agrobiotechnology, CSIC-UPNA, Mutilva Baja, Spain
^f  Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (AFSSA), Maisons-Alfort, France
^g  NEIKER, Derio, Bizkai, Spain
^h  Ministry for Social Security and Generations, Vienna, Austria
ⁱ  INRA-Centre de recherches de Tours, Nouzilly, France
^j  Department of Agriculture and Food Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Dublin, Ireland
^k  Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
^l  Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Bury St Edmunds, United Kingdom
^m  National Sheep Association, Malvern, United Kingdom
ⁿ  AFSSA Sophia Antipolis, BP 111, 06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

(Received 25 November 2003; accepted 16 February 2004)

Abstract - Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV = maedi-visna in sheep and caprine arthritis encephalitis in goats) are distributed throughout most countries of the world, particularly Europe. Laboratories from 16 European countries established collaborations within the framework of a COST (CO-operation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) action sponsored by the European Union in order to (i) better organize their research programmes on SRLVs and (ii) to coordinate efforts to combat these two diseases. After five years, a consensus conference - the first one in the veterinary medicine field - concluded the work of this network of laboratories by reviewing the present position and discussing three important questions in the field of SRLVs: routes of transmission, consequences of infection and potential role of eradication programmes at either a European or local level, according to the situation in each country or region. This paper brings together existing information regarding these questions and identifies areas for future research.

Key words: Maedi-visna / caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus / lentivirus / small ruminants / European consensus conference

Corresponding author: Michel Pépin m.pepin@afssa.fr

© INRA, EDP Sciences 2004