Prevalence of SRLV infections in various sheep breeds

Abstract

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..