Pestivirus infection in small ruminants: Virological and histopathologicalfindings

Pestivirus infection was detected in several flocks of sheep and goats loca ted in the south of Italy by means of serological, virological and histopat hological investigations. From four animals, two lambs and two kids, showin g enteric symptoms which died during the first week of life, four pestiviru s strains were isolated and typed as BVDV-like (three isolates) and "tipic" BDV strains (one isolate). The histopatological lesions consisted of areas of hypomyelination in the brain, and a slight depletion of thymic medullar y lymphocytes associated with an increase in reticular cells.