Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus in semen of naturally infected bucks

Semen and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples of 15 infected and 3 non-infected bucks were evaluated for the presence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV), by double-nested polymerase chain reaction (d-n-PCR). In order to locat the presence of virus, semen samples were separated into cell-free seminal fluids (CFSF), enriched non-spermatozoal cells fraction (NSCF), and spermatozoa (SPZ). All PBMC samples from infected bucks were positive for CAEV-DNA but only 8 out of 15 semen samples were positive for CAEV-DNA. The presence of virus was not necessarily concordant in different fractions of semen from the same buck over time. In addition, the virus was isolated from CFSF in primary goat synovial membrane (GSM) cell culture, in which productive infection was demonstrated by syncytia formation. This is the first report describing the presence of CAEV-DNA and also of replication-competent virus in semen from CAEV seropositive bucks. Such results suggest the possibility of sexual transmission of CAEV. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.