Recombinant small ruminant lentivirus subtype B1 in goats and sheep of imported breeds in Mexico

Nucleotide sequences of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) were determined in sheep and goats, including progeny of imported animals, on a farm in Mexico. On the basis of gag-pol, pol, env and LTR sequences, SRLVs were assigned to the B1 subgroup, which comprises caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV)-like prototype sequences mainly from goats. In comparison with CAEV-like env sequences of American and French origin, two putative recombination events were identified within the V3–V4 and V4–V5 regions of the env gene of a full length SRLV sequence (FESC-752) derived from a goat on the farm.