The caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) experimental infection was studied in 24 one-week-old seronegative kids. Sixteen kids were inoculated with CAEV-Cork, with 10(6) TCID50/ml concentration, being eight inoculated intravenously, and eight intranasally. Eight animals were used as controls, being four inoculated intravenously, and four intranasally with non-infected cell culture medium. Since the day of the inoculation, clinical evaluation was performed daily, until the day of the sacrifice. Blood samples were taken for serological tests. The animals were killed in pairs at 2, 6, 12 and 20 days post-inoculation (PI) and tissues samples of central nervous system, joints, tonsils, lymphonodes, lungs, kidneys, thymus, spleen, small and large intestine were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical studies. One animal CAEV inoculated intranasally and killed at 20 days PI showed immunohistochemical positive reaction in an alveolar macrophage. It was concluded that transmission by air is a probable rote of CAEV infection.
Caprine; caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus; experimental infection; immunohistochemistry
