Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA), also known as ovine pulmonary adenomatosis, or jaagsiekte, is a chronic and contagious disease of the lungs of sheep and goats. OPA is caused by a retrovirus called jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV).
The disease has a long incubation period, and therefore signs usually occur in adult animals (over 2 years of age). [1] Clinical signs resemble a non-specific progressive pneumonia, including poor body condition and, particularly after exercise, respiratory difficulty. [2] Unless a concurrent lung infection is present, affected sheep continue to eat. [2] The only sign specific to OPA is a watery nasal discharge, consisting of lung fluid produced by the affected lung tissue; lifting the hind legs of the animal above the level of its head will cause large volumes of this fluid to flow from the nostrils. [2]
There are no reliable tests for the diagnosis of OPA in live animals which are suitable for use on farms, [3] so diagnosis can only be confirmed at necropsy (post-mortem examination). On necropsy, lungs are interspersed with multifocal tumors. Some of these are small discrete nodules and others will involve the entire half of a lung lobule. [2] JSRV acutely transforms the lung epithelia into cancerous cells, with type-2 pneumocytes and club cells being the likely target for JSRV transformation. The tumors have overactive secretory functions, which are a hallmark of OPA.[ citation needed ]
The retroviral antigen levels of JSRV are very high in OPA tumors and can be detected in the lung secretions of infected sheep. It is thought that infected animals secrete the virus before showing signs, so the virus is easily spread within flocks.[ citation needed ]
OPA has been found in most countries where sheep are farmed, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand. OPA has been eradicated in Iceland. [4]
No breed or sex of sheep appears to be predisposed to OPA. [5] Most affected sheep show signs at 2 to 4 years of age. [4]
OPA is not a notifiable disease, and therefore it is difficult to assess its prevalence. [4]
OPA was first described in the UK in 1888, [4] and described in detail in South Africa in 1891. [6] The disease was initially known as jaagsiekte [jɑːχˈsiktə] , a word derived from Afrikaans, meaning "chasing sickness", so called because animals are in respiratory distress as if they are out of breath from being chased. [6] It has also been known as sheep pulmonary adenomatosis and ovine pulmonary carcinoma. [7]
OPA has been used as an animal model for human lung cancer, because OPA is histologically similar to human adenocarcinoma in situ of the lung. [8]
Dolly the sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, was euthanized after it was confirmed that she had OPA. [9]
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Opa or OPA may refer to:
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Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is a betaretrovirus which is the causative agent of a contagious lung cancer in sheep, called ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
Bovine malignant catarrhal fever (BMCF) is a fatal lymphoproliferative disease caused by a group of ruminant gamma herpes viruses including Alcelaphine gammaherpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1) and Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) These viruses cause unapparent infection in their reservoir hosts, but are usually fatal in cattle and other ungulates such as deer, antelope, and buffalo. In Southern Africa the disease is known as snotsiekte, from the Afrikaans.
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Adenocarcinoma of the lung is the most common type of lung cancer, and like other forms of lung cancer, it is characterized by distinct cellular and molecular features. It is classified as one of several non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), to distinguish it from small cell lung cancer which has a different behavior and prognosis. Lung adenocarcinoma is further classified into several subtypes and variants. The signs and symptoms of this specific type of lung cancer are similar to other forms of lung cancer, and patients most commonly complain of persistent cough and shortness of breath.
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The enzootic nasal tumor virus of the betaretrovirus genus is a carcinogenic retrovirus that causes enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma in sheep and goats. Strain ENTV-1 is found in sheep and strain ENTV-2 is found in goats. The virus causes tumor growth in the upper nasal cavity and is closely related to JSRV which also causes respiratory tumors in ovine. The disease, enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma is common in North America and is found in sheep and goats on every continent except New Zealand and Australia. There are more than 27 betaretroviruses similar to ENVT and JSRV in the ovine genome. In the future, research on ENTV may become important in studying viruses that cause human lung cancer.
Enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma is a fatal, malignant neoplastic, infectious disease in sheep and goats. It is caused by the Enzootic nasal tumor virus, a retrovirus similar to Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, which causes a similar disease, also in sheep and goats called Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). Symptoms include nasal discharge, dyspnea, facial deformity, and weight loss. Like OPA, the disease has a very long incubation period and is invariably fatal.