The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of SRLV infection in sheep breeds farmed in mid-Eastern Poland. Out of 6,470 mother ewes kept in 98 nucleus flocks of various sizes, 2,924 belonging to 15 breeds and lines were selected for serum sample collection. The selection of the animals analyzed was carried out using stratification which enabled the determination of infection prevalence with an error margin no greater than 8%. The assay of SRLV-specific antibodies in blood serum was performed using the ELISA test. The analyses revealed a large diversity of prevalence between the sheep breeds studied. The lowest prevalence was observed in Uhruska sheep, in which only 5.07% had a positive serological reaction, despite the fact that the number of animals of this breed included in the analysis was large (1675 mother ewes). The prevalence for this variety was over 5-7 times lower in comparison to Wielkopolska sheep (35%), Polish Pogorze sheep (22.73%), Podhale Zackel sheep (29.03%) and over 10 times lower than Świniarka sheep (57.04%). The results should be used for developing breeding strategies and establishing anti-SRLV programs.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the epidemiological condition of SRLV infections in nucleus flocks of sheep. The surveillance of Lentivirus infections was conducted in sheep flocks from the mid-Eastern part of Poland: the area of Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpacie provinces. Ninety eight flocks were chosen for a detailed analysis. They included 6,470 mother ewes belonging to 15 breeds and lines: Polish Merino sheep, Polish Lowland sheep, Wielkopolska sheep, Żelaźnieńska sheep, Uhruska sheep, Olkuska sheep, Polish Heath sheep, Świniarka sheep, Polish Pogorze sheep, Podhale Zackel sheep, Black-headed sheep, Ile de France, Berrichon du Cher, BCP and SCP. The identification of the infected animals and the assessment of the epidemiological condition of the flocks was carried out using a serological analysis of blood serum samples. The assay of MVV-specific antibodies in blood serum was performed using the ELISA test. The results obtained showed that the highest rate of flocks with at least one animal with a positive serological response was in the Podkarpacie Province (71.43%), and the lowest rate (27.03%) was observed in Lubelskie Province. The analysis of the rate of the sheep infected with SRLV indicated that the greatest number of seropositive animals was highest in Podkarpackie Province (19.9%), which corresponds to the results for the flocks, and was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) than in Świętokrzyskie Province (11.35%) and Lubelskie Province (9.20%). The flock size turned out to be a factor which significantly influenced the prevalence of SRLV infections. The prevalence was highest (13.6%) in the flocks exceeding 100 sheep, and decreased together with the decreasing number of heads in the flock. It must be stressed that the problem of SRLV infections is very complex and depends on many factors. Therefore it is necessary to carry out a detailed diagnosis of the factors leading to expansion of the virus in sheep flocks before developing flock protection programs.
The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the occurrence of SRLV infections on lamb growth and reproductive performance of sheep. The study was carried out on 98 sheep flocks from mid-Eastern Poland, covering the area of Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpackie provinces. The study included 6,470 mother ewes. Flocks with at least one detected case of SRLV-positive serological test were considered infected. All flocks included in the experiment were subjected to the analysis of lamb growth on the basis of their body weight achieved on the 56th day of life. Moreover, traits related to reproductive performance, such as fertility, lamb/ewe rate and lamb weaning rate, as well as the reproductive performance itself were evaluated. The observations showed that both ewes (18.98 kg) and rams (19.70 kg) achieved higher body weights in the flocks where SRLV had not been detected. In the flocks in which the presence of SRLV was detected the achieved body weight was lower by 0.93 kg and 1.26 kg, respectively. The sheep in the SRLV-infected flocks were characterized by a significantly lower fertility and higher lamb/ewe rate in comparison to other flocks. The analysis conducted for the purpose of the study showed that the presence of SRLV in a flock resulted in a worse lamb weaning rate by about 6.69 percentage points. To sum up, the flocks with detected presence of SRLV were characterized by a significantly lower fertility and greater lamb mortality rate. The presence of SLRV also had a detrimental effect on the body weight obtained on the 56th day of life, both in rams and ewes. The results of the study clearly indicate the negative influence of SRLV on the reproductive performance of sheep.