Bovine leukemia virus seroprevalence among cattle presented for slaughter in the United States

Infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) results in economic loss because of reduced productivity, especially reduced milk production, and early culling. In the United States, studies in 1996, 1999, and 2007 showed BLV infection to be widespread, especially in dairy herds. We updated information h...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation 2017-09, Vol.29 (5), p.704-706
Main Authors: Bauermann, Fernando V., Ridpath, Julia F., Dargatz, David A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abattoirs
Animals
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Cattle
Cross-Sectional Studies
Enzootic Bovine Leukosis - epidemiology
Enzootic Bovine Leukosis - virology
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary
Female
Leukemia Virus, Bovine - isolation & purification
Prevalence
Seroepidemiologic Studies
United States - epidemiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) results in economic loss because of reduced productivity, especially reduced milk production, and early culling. In the United States, studies in 1996, 1999, and 2007 showed BLV infection to be widespread, especially in dairy herds. We updated information herein on BLV seroprevalence in the United States, using samples submitted for testing and found negative for antibodies for Brucella by the Kentucky Eastern Regional Federal Brucellosis Laboratory. From October 2014 through August 2015, 2,000 samples from all regions of the contiguous United States were selected and tested for BLV antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall percentage of samples positive for BLV antibody was 38.6%. Based on the animal’s origin, the percent positive by region ranged from 32.5% (Mountain West region) to 54.3% (Northeast region; p < 0.05). The positive rate for slaughter plants that processed mainly dairy animals (dairy plants; 47.6%) was higher than the positive rate at slaughter plants that processed mainly beef animals (beef plants; 33.6%; p < 0.05). The results suggest that BLV infection remains widespread in all regions of the United States and that rates may differ between beef and dairy cattle.
ISSN:1040-6387
1943-4936
DOI:10.1177/1040638717702183