Maedi Visna Virus

Diagnostic spectrum

General information

Maedi and visna are two different diseases in sheep that are caused by the same virus of the retrovirus family and belong to the so-called “slow virus diseases”.

Maedi (meaning dyspnoea) disease is characterised by shortness of breath and cough, which are caused by chronic progressive interstitial pneumonia.

Visna (meaning decay) is a slightly contagious but progressive disease of the central nervous system. The animals show paralysis because of a demyelination of the CNS as well as increasing decay.

Notifiable animal disease!