PREVALÊNCIA E FATORES ASSOCIADOS À INFECÇÃO POR LENTIVÍRUS DE PEQUENOS RUMINANTES EM CAPRINOS NO ESTADO DO TOCANTINS

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of caprine blood reagents to small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV), through a non probabilistic sampling of herds in Tocantins State. In order to detect the anti-SRLV antibodies, 843 blood samples were analyzed using the microimmunodiffusion test in agarose gel – MICRO-IDGA. The frequency of blood reagent goats was 2.7% (23/843). Five focus, being two in the city of Araguaina and one in each of the cities of Babaculândia, Filadelfia and Miracema do Tocantins had been identified. The results were distributed according to micro-region in the following manner: 10.0 (20/200) and 1.4% (3/207) for the North and Miracema micro-regions, respectively. The Saanen was the breed with the highest percentage of blood reagent animals (11.7%; 7/60), the undefined breed animals 0.6% (2/310) and Anglo-Nubian (3.0%; 14/466). Regarding age, 1.9% (6/314) and 3.2% (17/529) of animals under and over 24 months of age, respectively, tested positive. 2.4% (4/166) of males and 2.8% (19/677) of females tested positive. The SRLV infection occurs at a low prevalence among goats in Tocantins State, affecting mainly animal of the Saanen breed and from the north region.  KEY WORDS: Brazil, CAEV, epidemiology, microimmunodiffusion.