First study on the molecular prevalence of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus in goats in Babylon, Iraq

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) is a virus that affects goats all over the world and causes enormous economic losses; as a result, screening for the disease is a priority, especially in Iraq. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of CAEV in infected goats using the précised PCR method in Babylon, Iraq. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 85 blood samples from goats aged 1 month to ≥6 years were analyzed for CAEV infections using molecular methods. The polymerase chain reaction primer was designed to amplify a 573 bp region of the proviral pol gene. RESULTS: The CAEV tests revealed that five out of 85 goats were positive for CAEV. There were no significant differences in CAEV infection according to goat sex and significant differences according to age. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, the present study is the first molecular survey to confirm the current CAEV genome in an Iraqi goat flock.