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Venereal shedding of ovine lentivirus in infected rams
A de la Concha-Bermejillo1, S Magnus-Corral, S J Brodie
1Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, San Angelo 76901, USA.
Objective:
To assess shedding of ovine lentivirus (OvLV) in semen of infected rams with or without epididymitis.
Design:
Rams 1 and 2 were naturally infected with OvLV. Rams 3-6 were inoculated with OvLV strain 85/ 34. Ram 7 was inoculated with uninfected cell culture supernatant (OvLV-negative control). 14 weeks after OvLV inoculation, rams 1-3, 6, and 7 were inoculated with Brucella ovis into the epididymis. Ram 4 was a natural case of B ovis epididymitis, and ram 5 was left noninoculated (B ovis-negative control). Blood mononuclear cells (BMNC) and semen were collected between 0 and 44 weeks after OvLV inoculation.
Animals:
Seven 2- to 3-year-old rams.
Procedure:
Infective OvLV in BMNC and semen was determined by virus isolation and subsequent OvLV-DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Bronchoalveolar lavage cells collected after death were used for DNA extraction and PCR amplification.
Results:
OvLV was detected in the semen of rams 3 and 6, but only after B ovis inoculation. OvLV was isolated consistently from BMNC of rams 3 and 6, but only occasionally from rams 1, 2, 4, and 5. Leukocytospermia was evident in every ejaculate of all B ovis-infected rams after infection. Semiquantitative PCR determination of OvLV DNA from bronchoalveolar lavage cells revealed the highest OvLV DNA load in rams 3 and 6.
Conclusions:
Leukocytospermia and a high virus load in infected animals are important factors that determine shedding of OvLV in semen.
Clinical Relevance:
Dissemination of OvLV through contaminated semen could have important implications in the epidemiology and control of this infection.