Preliminary Study on Paratuberculosis, Small Ruminant Lentivirus, and Co-infection in Emilia Ro-magna Flocks

Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLVs) and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratu-berculosis (MAP) are major pathogens affecting sheep and goats, leading to sig-nificant economic losses and animal welfare concerns. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of SRLV e MAP seropositivity in sheep and goats in the Emilia Romagna region through a comprehensive serological examination. A total of 498 sera (392 sheep and 106 goats) were subjected to the enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) method for the detection of antibodies against SRLV sero-types A, B, and E, and for the detection of antibodies against MAP. The results of serological analysis show that 81.3% of the animals were positive for at least one causative agent, of which 93% were positive for SRLV, 0.3% for MAP, and 6.6% for SRLV-MAP co-infection. Furthermore, in both SRLV-only positive and SRLV-MAP coinfected samples, genotype B was the most representative (45.7%). The results of the study showed the presence of SRLV and paratuberculosis, as well as a prevalence of SRLV-MAP co-infection, for the first time in sheep and goats in the region, as well as the prevalence of SRLV-MAP co-infection, underlying the im-portance of implementing effective measures to control the spread of pathogens in small ruminants.