Pathobiology of bovine leukemia virus

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a retrovirus similar to the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV). Most BLV infected animals (70%) develop a B-cell lymphoproliferative syndrome with altered productive traits and 1 to 5% die with B-cell lymphosarcomas. Although BLV infection is world-wide, western European countries have almost eradicated it by slaughtering the seropositive animals. BLV infection remains endemic in many countries including the United States and prophylactic strategies involving recombinant vaccine vectors, genetically modified BLV and transgenic animals resistant to the infection are under study.