Authors : Adebayo I. A. and T. A. M. Awoniyi
Abstract: One hundred and seventeen West African Dwarf (WAD) goats suspected of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) infection were isolated to study immunological responses to the infection. Employing the sodium-dodecil-sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique, the expression of the different immuno-dominant glycoproteins were monitored over a ten-month period. The immunological response of each goat as the infection progressed was determined by titrating the serum antibody level against the viral load using Goat Synovial Membrane Cells (GSMC) as the indicator medium. A pattern that was consistent in all the infected goats was that both neutralizing antibody and virus were detectable throughout the period of the study. Immunoblotting assays showed that there were slight differences in the pattern of immune responses of the goats to the infection as manifested by the expression of different glycoproteins though based on the advancement of the disease in the different animals. The immunological implications of these findings are discussed.
Adebayo I. A. and T. A. M. Awoniyi , 2004. Immunological Response of West-Africa Dwarf Goats to Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus Infection . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 3: 679-683.