The small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) include the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) and the Maedi-Visna virus (MVV). Both of these viruses limit production and can be a major source of economic loss to producers. Little is known about how the immune system recognizes and responds to SRLVs, but due to similarities with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HIV research can shed ligh...

Disease is a major constraint in small ruminant production systems in lesser-developed countries throughout the world. Animal health projects have been an integral part of the Small Ruminant Collaborative Research Support Program (SR-CRSP) from its inception. At the onset, these projects were oriented toward herd health care and veterinary extension activities. Later, all the projects developed...

Through natural development the ruminant stomach has achieved an efficient microbial digestion of plant fibre and also of almost all other plant constituents; synthesis of microbial polysaccharide and protein and of certain vitamins also occurs. The products of microbial digestion are utilized by ruminants, but they are not identical with the products of digestion in non-ruminants. I n this Sym...

Phenotypic biotyping has traditionally been used to differentiate bacteria occupying distinct ecological niches such as host species. For example, the capacity of Staphylococcus aureus from sheep to coagulate ruminant plasma, reported over 60 years ago, led to the description of small ruminant and bovine S. aureus ecovars. The great majority of small ruminant isolates are represented by a singl...

Importance Caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE) is an economically important viral disease of goats. The caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), a lentivirus; infects its hosts for life. Although most infections are subclinical, a minority of animals develops progressive, untreatable disease syndromes including polyarthritis in adults and encephalomyelitis in kids. This virus also caus...