Introduction Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection is an important lentiviral disease of goats characterised by chronic arthritis, pneumonia and mastitis in adult animals and ence- phalomyelitis in young animals [2, 28]. CAEV is genetically and antigenically related to visna-maedi virus of sheep and exhibits affinity for monocyte /macrophage lineage [21, 29]. Infection is persistent despite generation of immune res- ponse by the host [3]. CAEV infection causes economic losses due to reproduc- tive failure, lowered milk production, reduction in lactation length and an increased incidence of inter-current diseases [11]. Transmission is primarily by ingestion of colostrum or milk containing infected cells from dam [2]. Horizontal transmission is possible by prolonged contact with infected goats [24]. Control involves serotesting and segregation, iso- lation of new-borns at birth and feeding heat-treated milk and colostrum [2, 19]. Infected goats are carriers without showing clinical signs and delayed seroconversion are impe- diment in control and eradication programs [23, 25]. High and widespread prevalence of CAEV infection was reported in many parts of the world, and economic losses due to the disease are largest in countries with intensive husban- dry. While results from Kenya and Mexico showed that 4- 5% of the goats were infected [1], higher seroprevalence rates were recorded in the USA [6] and Australia [12], where intensive husbandry is generally practised. A limited number of studies is available on the prevalence of CAEV infection among goat populations in Turkey. BURGU et al. [4] reported a prevalence of 1.9 % by AGID test for three state farms and seven private flocks in different parts of Turkey. YAVRU et al. [27] reported a prevalence of 6.34 % and 13.05 % by AGID and ELISA, respectively, in Konya province located in Central Anatolia. No report is available on the prevalence of CAEV infection among goat populations in Hatay. In this region, goats are the most important source of meat and milk for the rural population, and Damascus goat and Kilis goat are two indigenous breeds reared in the region. In order to analyse the epidemiological status of CAEV in the region of Hatay (Turkey), the seroprevalence of CAEV between Damascus goat and Kilis goat herds was studied using AGIDT and cELISA. Materials and Methods SERUM SAMPLES Blood samples were collected from 675 randomly selected goats from different farms in Hatay region of Turkey. The age, sex and breed of sampled goats were recorded (Table I). Blood samples were taken into clot activator vacuum tubes (Vacuette, Austria) and quickly transported to the laboratory. Sera were separated after centrifugation at 1000 g for 10 minutes and stored at - 20°C until examined. Serological survey for caprine arthritis-ence- phalitis virus in Damascus and Kilis goats in Hatay, Turkey O. ASLANTAS 1 *, F. ÖZYÖRÜK 2 , D. PINAR 3 and B. GÜNGOR 4 1 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Microbiology, University of Mustafa Kemal, Hatay, Turkey 2 Institute of Foot and Mouth Disease, Ankara, Turkey 3 Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Virology, Hatay, Turkey 4 Uludag University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Virology, Bursa, Turkey * Corresponding author : E-mail : aslantas@mku.edu.tr RÉSUMÉ Etude sérologique du CAEV sur des troupeaux de chèvres Damascus et Kilis dans la région de Hatay, Turquie. Par O. ASLANTAS, F. ÖZYÖRÜK, D. PINAR et B. GÜNGOR. Afin de déterminer la séroprévalence du virus CAEV (arthrite encéphali- te caprine) 675 sérums de chèvres ont été prélevés dans 6 différentes pro- vinces de la région de Hatay et ont été testés par immunodiffusion en gélo- se (AGIDT) ainsi que par un test immuno-enzymatique par compétition (cELISA). Seul, le test cELISA a permis de déterminer une séropositivité de 1.03% dans 2 provinces. Ces résultats, en accord avec de précédentes études turques, indiquent une prévalence faible du CAEV dans la région de Hatay. Mots-clés : chèvre - CAEV - séroprévalence - Hatay - Turquie. Revue Méd. Vét., 2005, 156, 7, 402-404 SUMMARY A total of 675 goat sera from six different provinces in Hatay region were examined using agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGIDT) and competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) to determine the prevalen- ce of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection. Seropositivity with cELISA was 1.03 % in two provinces. The results indicate a low pre- valence for CAEV infection in Hatay region, in agreement with the previous studies in Turkey. Keywords : goat - CAEV - seroprevalence - Hatay - Turkey.