title: The presence of small ruminant lentiviruses in Mexican Pelibuey sheep.
abstract: The transmission frequency of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) through the placenta is controversial and may be associated with breed susceptibility. In Mexico, SRLV infections in sheep have been poorly studied. This work explores the presence of antibodies and proviral DNA in Mexican Pelibuey sheep. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs; three commercial kits and two on the basis of synthetic peptides) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR; amplifying the long terminal repeat and gag segments) were performed to diagnose SRLV infection in 25 adult Pelibuey ewes with an average age of 2.5 years and 32 fetuses with gestational ages ranging from 40 to 90 days without clinical signs of SRLV. Two of the three commercial ELISAs and the synthetic peptide-based ones were positive for SRLV antibody detection in 28% and 24% of the ewes, respectively, whereas none of the fetuses were positive by any of the ELISAs. By PCR, 31% of the ewes and, interestingly, two fetuses were positive. Characteristic SRLV lesions were not found in the fetal and/or ewe tissues, including those with positive PCR results. These findings demonstrate the susceptibility of Pelibuey sheep to SRLV infection and the low transmission frequency through the placenta.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología, Genética y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán (FESC) Campo 4, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Estado de México, México.
authors.forename: José H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología, Genética y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán (FESC) Campo 4, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Estado de México, México.
authors.forename: Humberto A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmuno-virología, Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, UMAE Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México.
authors.forename: María M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de apoyo a Histología y Biología, FESC, Campo 4, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Estado de México, México.
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología CENID Microbiología Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Forestal Agrícola y Pecuaria (INIFAP), Ciudad de México, México.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Inmuno-virología, Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, UMAE Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad de México, México.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, UPNA-CSIC-Gobierno de Navarra, Navarra, Spain.
authors.forename: Damián F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: de Andrés
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, UPNA-CSIC-Gobierno de Navarra, Navarra, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramsés
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reina
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología, Genética y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán (FESC) Campo 4, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Estado de México, México. Electronic address: ramiralh@unam.mx.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ramírez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D016180:Lentivirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017972:Lentiviruses, Ovine-Caprine / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*
keywords: ELISA; PCR; Pelibuey breed; Small ruminant lentiviruses; Synthetic peptides