Background: Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is a major viral disease of goats, caused by small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV), associated with chronic arthritis, mastitis, pneumonia, and encephalitis, leading to economic losses and reduced animal welfare. This study aimed to estimate the true prevalence of CAE in Hungarian goat herds, based on nationwide sampling and statistical modeling. Methods: Blood samples from 1218 goats in 53 herds were tested using ELISA, and true prevalence was estimated by Bayesian analysis. Results: The mean herd true prevalence (HTP) was 29.1% (95% CrI: 20.8–38.5%), while within the infected herds, the conditional within herd prevalence (CWHP) reached 58% ± 27.1%. Medium- and large-sized herds (>50 animals) showed the highest mean HTP (77.8% and 74.9%, respectively). No significant regional differences were observed, indicating that CAE is uniformly distributed across the country. Conclusions: Our findings place Hungary among moderately to highly affected European countries and highlight the need for a nationwide control strategy integrating routine serological surveillance, biosecurity improvements, farmer education, and long-term tools such as selective breeding.

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) in gastrointestinal nematodes is a growing global concern that threatens effective parasite control in livestock farming. This study aimed to assess gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) control practices and identify risk factors associated with AR development on Lithuanian sheep farms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 2022 and 2023 among 71 members of the Lithuanian Sheep Breeders Association, covering farm management, grazing, and deworming practices. Anthelmintics were used by 90.2% of farmers, with most treating their flocks twice a year. Only 18.3% of farmers performed parasitological testing to guide treatments, with significantly more organic farms applying this approach than traditional farms. Treatment frequencies were significantly higher in traditional farms. Most farmers (45.1%) relied on the visual appraisal of sheep weight for dosing, while 35.2% dosed according to the weight of a medium-sized animal. Macrocyclic lactones were the most commonly used anthelmintics (50.7%). Quarantine procedures for new animals were implemented by less than half of the farmers (44.4%), while others treated without isolation (56.6%). These findings indicate reliance on non-strategic parasite control methods and limited use of diagnostics, highlighting the need for improved farmer education to promote sustainable parasite control and reduce AR risk in Lithuanian sheep farms.

In 2023, a molecular study was conducted on the Hungarian goat population to determine genotypes and subtypes of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) infecting these herds. Ten goat herds seropositive for SRLV infection according to a serosurvey conducted earlier in Hungary were selected, and 135 adult goats (>1 year old) were blood sampled. The two-stage nested real-time PCR (nRT-PCR) was used to detect proviral DNA of SRLV and distinguish between two main viral genotypes (A and B). PCR products were submitted for Sanger dideoxy sequencing, and phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses were conducted on the 200–250 bp-long proviral DNA sequences from the end of long terminal repeat (LTR) region and beginning of gag gene using the MEGA11 software. Reference strains included strains most identical to Hungarian sequences according to the Standard Nucleotide BLAST and prototypic strains for the relevant genotypes and subtypes. Proviral DNA of SRLV was detected in goats from all ten tested herds. A single SRLV genotype was detected in 6 herds—genotype A in three herds and B also in three herds. In four herds, mixed infection with genotypes A and B was confirmed. In total, 110/135 seropositive goats tested positive in the nRT-PCR (81.5%): 49/110 goats (44.5%) for genotype A, 54/110 goats (49.1%) for genotype B, and 7/110 goats (6.4%) for both genotypes. Hungarian sequences belonged to subtypes A1/A18, A2, and subtype B1. This is the first study which shows that Hungarian goats are infected by SRLV belonging to both genotypes A and B.

Summary: The rapid emergence of anthelmintic resistance (AR) among gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in Europe, particularly to benzimidazoles (BZ), levamisole (LEV), and macrocyclic lactones (ML), presents a growing challenge to sheep farming. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of resistance to BZ, IVM, and LEV in Lithuanian sheep farms. In vitro micro-agar larval development tests (MALDT), recognized as the most efficient in vitro method for large-scale epidemiological studies, were used. The research was conducted from 2021 to 2022 across 38 sheep farms throughout Lithuania. Findings indicate widespread resistance to IVM (47.4 %) and BZ (39.5 %), while LEV resistance was not detected. Multidrug resistance (MDR) to both IVM and BZ was found in 28.9 % of farms. Trichostrongylus , Teladorsagia , and Haemonchus were identified as resistant species. Our results reveal a lower prevalence of AR compared to previous studies, highlighting the critical importance of randomized sampling. The study underscores the need for strategic anthelmintic management and enhanced cooperation among researchers, veterinarians, and farmers to mitigate the spread of AR in Lithuanian sheep farms.

Pathogens such as Toxoplasma gondii, lentiviruses (e.g., CAE), Hypoderma spp., Neospora caninum, Mycoplasma spp., and pestiviruses are important for goat farming in Lithuania; however, data on their prevalence remain limited. To address this gap, a multi-pathogen study was conducted between 2021 and 2024 using selected ELISA kits (ID.vet, Innovative Diagnostics, France). A total of 380 blood samples were collected from 30 goat herds across different regions of Lithuania; the sample size varied depending on the pathogen. Serum samples were tested for antibodies, and seroprevalence was calculated for each pathogen. The highest seroprevalence was detected for T. gondii (38.9%, 143/368) and CAE virus (19.5%, 74/380). Antibodies to Mycoplasma spp. (0.3%, 1/368), Hypoderma spp. (3.8%, 7/184), and N. caninum (0.5%, 2/368) were detected only sporadically, while no antibodies to Border disease virus or Q fever were identified. Mixed infections were found in 7.6% of samples. Chi-square analysis showed that co-infections with toxoplasmosis and CAE occurred more frequently than expected (χ² = 19.05, p < 0.001). Herd size was significantly associated only with CAE seroprevalence (χ² = 7.913, df = 1, p < 0.05). Overall, toxoplasmosis and CAE were identified as the most epidemiologically relevant infections in the Lithuanian goat population.