Small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV), which include the caprine arthritis-encephalitis and the maedi-visna virus, cause persistent inflammatory infections in goats and sheep. SRLV are mainly transmitted from mother to offspring through milk. Transmission after prolonged contact between adult animals has also been observed. The observation that certain SRLV subtypes are found in both goats and sheep suggests that interspecies transmission has occurred on several occasions in the past. We investigated seropositive goats and sheep that were kept together in small mixed herds. Phylogenetic analysis of long proviral sequences in gag and pol, combined with epidemiologic information, demonstrated natural sheep-to-goat transmission of the recently identified SRLV subtype A4 in two instances and goat-to-sheep transmission of the same subtype in one instance. In a further mixed cluster, the direction of the interspecies transmission could not be determined. These findings present for the first time direct evidence that natural interspecies transmission of SRLV is ongoing in both directions. The findings are of relevance to virus eradication programs in both species. (14,17,18,28). Earlier phylogenetic analysis, mostly based on short sequences, has suggested that these very diverse viruses can be divided into six different sequence clades, I to VI (12,21,22,32). Recent work based on long sequences in gag and pol of more than 100 new isolates from Switzerland and all available database sequences has, however, demonstrated that the SRLV should rather be divided into four principal sequence groups A to D, which differ by 25 to 37% in gag and pol sequences. Sequence groups A and B are further divided into different subtypes that differ from each other by 15 to 27%. Group A contains at least 7 subtypes, A1 to A7, and group B contains two subtypes, B1 and B2 (26). To date, subtypes A1 and A2 have been isolated only from sheep, and subtypes A5, A7, and B1 and groups C and D have been isolated only from goats. In contrast, subtypes A3, A4, A6, and B2 have been isolated from both sheep and goats. Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) and maedivisna virus (MVV) are small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) that infect goats and sheep

A suspected case of multiple anthelmintic resistance on a farm in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, into which South African Boer goats had previously been imported, was confirmed in a controlled test. Twenty sheep were allocated into one control group and three treatment groups to determine the efficacy of mebendazole, ivermectin and moxidectin applying the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). The sheep were slaughtered 1 week later and post-mortem worm counts were performed. Benzimidazole and ivermectin resistance were found in Haemonchus contortus with an efficacy of 55 and 61%, respectively. Moxidectin appeared to be effective when the data was analysed according to the recommended analytical techniques with an efficacy of 96%. This is the first description of resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to one of the macrocyclic lactones in small ruminants in Switzerland. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of controlling livestock before importation.

Metabolic acidosis in goat kids with floppy kid syndrome is caused by an increase in the plasma concentration of D-lactate.

Sampling methods for preputial secretions and culture methods for Tritrichomonas foetus were compared in a two-by-two factorial experiment. Fourteen bulls were confirmed as infected by repeated weekly sampling and culture on Diamond's medium over the course of 10 months. In a six-week test of alternative methods of diagnosis, the bulls were randomly assigned to have their preputial contents sampled weekly either by washing or by scraping of the preputial membrane. The samples were cultured on Claussen's medium and in InPouch packets at 37 degrees C in air for seven days. The results were compared by McNemar's chi 2 test for symmetry. Washing yielded 69 positive cultures from 84 samples whereas scraping yielded 65 from 83. These differences were not statistically significant. InPouch culture detected 73 of 83 samples from positive bulls, whereas Claussen's medium detected 61 of 83. The difference in sensitivity between the two culture methods was highly significant (P = 0.0027), with the InPouch method 'missing' two positive samples that were detected by Claussen's medium and Claussen's medium missing 14 positive samples that were detected by InPouch culture.

Forty-eight cows with left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) and three clinically healthy control cows were examined ultrasonographically from the 11th and 12th intercostal spaces on the left side. In the controls, the rumen was immediately adjacent to the left abdominal wall, whereas in the cows with LDA the rumen was generally immediately adjacent to the left abdominal wall ventrally, but displaced by the abomasum more dorsally. The ultrasonographic findings were generally consistent in the cows with LDA. The ingesta that were visualised ventrally in the abomasum appeared echogenic to hypoechogenic and, in a few cows, the abomasal folds were visible as elongated, echogenic, sickle-shaped structures. The dorsal abomasal gas cap was characterised by reverberation artifacts from the abomasal surface.