CAE in goats
Australian situation
Caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE) is present in Australia.
For general information on managing animal health in Australia, please consult the latest edition of ‘Animal Health in Australia‘.
Disease summary
CAE is a disease of goats caused by a lentivirus. This disease is also called chronic arthritis-synovitis, big-knee, viral leukoencephalomyelitis, progressive interstitial pneumonia and caprine retrovirus disease (CRD).
CAE causes chronic arthritis and occasionally progressive interstitial pneumonia or chronic mastitis in adult goats and leukoencephalomyelitis in young kids.
Clinical signs include swelling of the carpal joints and lameness in adults. Other joints become involved as the disease progresses. Kids show nervous signs, such as lameness, ataxia, hindlimb placing deficits, hypertonia and hyperreflexia.
Transmission generally occurs through ingestion of colostrum, but can also occur through respiratory and other routes, such as exposure to fomites when feeding. The disease probably occurs worldwide.
World distribution
CAE infections have been reported in North America, Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America, Europe and Africa.
More information on this OIE-listed disease, including worldwide disease status and distribution maps, is available on the World Animal Health Information Database (WAHID).
Management of CAE
AHA and the Goat Industry Council of Australia have developed Guidelines for the Voluntary Control and Eradication of CAE from Individual Herds for the use of veterinarians in partnership with their goat producer clients to achieve effective CAE control. These guidelines used in conjunction with the National Kid Rearing Plan will help producers to reduce the risk of CAE and Johne’s disease spread in their herd.
CAE fact sheets
Related links
- Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) PrimeFact—NSW Primary Industries
- Caprine arthritis and encephalitis—US Center for Food Security and Public Health
- National Kid Rearing Plan