Methodological approaches to laboratory diagnostics of caprine arthritis-encephalitis

This paper discusses modern methodological approaches to the laboratory diagnostics of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE), a chronic disease of viral etiology characterized by prolonged asymptomatic viral transmission, followed by the development of symptoms of damage to the respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, central nervous system and breast tissues. Brief information on the nature of the disease, its spread, transmission mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and prevention is presented. Methods of laboratory diagnosis of caprine arthritis-encephalitis using ELISA and PCR are separately described. The peculiarities of the application of each method are indicated based on the patterns of the pathogenesis of the disease and the physiological status of the examined animals. It is emphasized that the absence of an official diagnostic pattern based on the features of the course of this disease, as well as an incorrect choice of a specific diagnostic method, may lead to false results. The pattern for laboratory diagnosis of caprine arthritis-encephalitis based on the features of the pathogenesis of this disease is proposed. The age-related features of the use of various diagnostic systems, the frequency of examination of animals depending on the epizootic status of the farm are taken into account. The diagnostic kits used are domestic test systems manufactured by the AO Vector Best (Novosibirsk) which are characterized by a lower price compared to their foreign counterparts as well as high diagnostic efficiency. This diagnostic pattern was successfully tested in the rehabilitation of 5 goat farms of various forms of ownership specializing in raising dairy goats and allowed, together with the use of technological methods for the prevention of this disease, to fully rehabilitate the farms within 2-3 years and transfer them to the status of safe.