Seroprevalence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus in goats in the Cariri region, Paraiba state, Brazil.

The seroprevalence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) in the Cariri Region of Paraíba State, Brazil, was determined in 60 goat herds using the agar gel immunodiffusion test. The overall seroprevalence was 8.2%, with seropositivity in 21/60 (35%) herds and 13/15 (86.6%) municipalities. Bucks had a significantly higher frequency of infection (28.3%) than does (5.9%), and bucks that originated in other states had a significantly higher frequency of infection (76.5%) than those from Paraíba State (9.3%).