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OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in beef bulls; evaluate the presence of BLV provirus DNA in blood, smegma, and semen samples; and analyze whether blood BLV proviral load was associated with differential blood cell counts. DESIGN Observational cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 121 beef bulls ≥ 2 years old from 39 Michigan herds. PROCEDURES Blood, smegma, and semen samples were collected from each bull during a routine breeding soundness examination. An ELISA was used to detect serum anti-BLV antibodies. A coordination of common motifs-quantitative PCR assay was used to detect BLV provirus DNA in blood, smegma, and semen samples. Bulls with positive results on both the BLV serum ELISA and coordination of common motifs-quantitative PCR assay were considered infected with BLV. RESULTS 19 of 39 (48.7%) herds and 54 of 121 (44.6%) bulls were infected with BLV. Provirus DNA was detected in the blood of all 54 and in smegma of 4 BLV-infected bulls but was not detected in any semen sample. Lymphocyte count was significantly greater in BLV-infected bulls than in uninfected bulls. The proportion of BLV-infected bulls with lymphocytosis (16/54 [29.6%]) was greater than the proportion of uninfected bulls with lymphocytosis (6/67 [9%]). Lymphocyte count was positively associated with BLV proviral load in BLV-infected bulls. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that almost half of beef bulls and herds were infected with BLV, and BLV provirus DNA was detected in the smegma of some BLV-infected bulls. Bulls may have an important role in BLV transmission in beef herds.

Bovine leukosis is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder that leads to significant economic losses in the beef and dairy industries. The major route of virus transmission is believed to be iatrogenic through the transfer of blood containing infected lymphocytes. In addition, BLV proviral DNA has been identified in nasal secretions, saliva, milk, colostrum, semen and smegma; however, natural transmission of BLV through these secretions has not been clearly demonstrated. The use of bulls for natural breeding has been identified as a risk factor in BLV infected dairy herds. However, the risk of BLV-infected bulls transmitting the virus is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for BLV transmission during natural breeding between a BLV-infected bull and uninfected heifers. Forty healthy, BLV seronegative, and proviral-negative beef heifers were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control heifers (n = 20) exposed to a BLV seronegative and proviral negative bull and challenged heifers (n = 20) exposed to a BLV seropositive and proviral-positive bull. Each group was housed with the bull for a period of 38 days in a 5-acre pasture to replicate the housing of commercial beef cattle during the breeding season. Blood samples were collected from heifers at −60, −30 and 0 days prior to breeding and day 30, 60 and 90 after the breeding period ended. Blood samples were tested for BLV antibodies by ELISA and BLV proviral DNA by CoCoMo-qPCR. New infection was not detected by ELISA or CoCoMo-qPCR in any of the challenge or control heifers at any time point during the study. Based on these results, BLV infected bulls that are healthy and aleukemic may not be a significant risk of BLV transmission during a defined breeding season.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a contagious, oncogenic deltaretrovirus of cattle with a worldwide distribution. In the US, over 40% of dairy cows are infected with the virus, and evidence of its economic impact is growing. This study evaluated the performance of a field-deployable automatic nucleic acid-extraction/insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) system for on-site BLV-proviral DNA detection in dairy cows compared with a conventional laboratory real-time PCR (rt-PCR). Assay performance was verified in parallel tests of 36 archived blood samples with 100% agreement (κ = 1.0; n = 36) between the iiPCR and conventional rt-PCR systems, and the limit of detection of the iiPCR assay was estimated to be 4 copies (genome equivalent) per reaction. The field-deployable iiPCR system was subsequently used on-farm to test freshly collected blood samples, and showed 100% agreement (κ = 1.0; n = 32) with the laboratory rt-PCR system. Fresh blood samples were collected on a second farm and tested on both systems, also with 100% agreement (κ = 1.0; n = 34). The field-deployable iiPCR/POCKIT™ combo system performs as well as a conventional laboratory-based rt-PCR system for detection of BLV proviral DNA in whole blood and may be a useful tool for on-farm evaluation of BLV-infection status in dairy cattle.

Bovine leukosis is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder caused by bovine leukemia virus (BLV). Previous studies estimate that 38 % of cow-calf beef herds and 10.3 % of individual beef cows in the US are BLV seropositive. About 70 % of BLV infected animals are asymptomatic carriers of the virus, while less than 5% develop lymphosarcoma, the leading reason for carcass condemnation at the US slaughterhouses. Studies provide evidence that BLV infection leads to decreased immune function making animals more vulnerable to other diseases, which could shorten their productive lifespan and increase economic losses in the cattle industry. BLV seropositive dairy cows are reportedly more likely to be culled sooner compared with their uninfected herd mates. Beyond simple prevalence studies, little is known about the impact of BLV infection in beef cattle production or specifically on beef cow longevity. Our objective was to determine the association between BLV infection and cow longevity in beef cow-calf operations. Twenty-seven cow-calf herds from the Upper Midwest volunteered to participate in this study. Female beef cattle (n = 3146) were tested for serum BLV antibodies by ELISA. A subsample of 648 cows were also tested for BLV proviral load (PVL). Culling data was collected for the subsequent 24 months. Twenty-one herds (77.7 %) had at least one BLV-infected animal, and 29.2 % (930/3146) of tested animals were BLV seropositive. Of the BLV-positive cows, 33.7 % (318/943) were culled compared with 32.1 % (541/1682) of the seronegative cows. BLV status did not affect cows' longevity within herds (P = 0.062). However, cows with high BLV PVL had decreased survival within the herd compared with ELISA- negative cows (P = 0.01). Overall, infection with BLV did not impact beef cow longevity unless the disease had progressed to a point of high BLV PVL.

The objective of this field trial was to reduce bovine leukemia virus (BLV) transmission and prevalence in commercial dairy herds using proviral load (PVL) and lymphocyte count (LC) measurements as indicators of the most infectious animals for culling or segregation. Bovine leukemia virus causes lymphoma in