Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 2167: Bovine Leukaemia Virus: Current Epidemiological Circumstance and Future Prospective

Viruses, Vol. 13, Pages 2167: Bovine Leukaemia Virus: Current Epidemiological Circumstance and Future Prospective Viruses doi: 10.3390/v13112167 Authors: Marawan A. Marawan Abdulaziz Alouffi Suleiman El Tokhy Sara Badawy Ihsanullah Shirani Ali Dawood Aizhen Guo Mashal M. Almutairi Fahdah Ayed Alshammari Abdelfattah Selim Bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) is a deltaretrovirus that is closely related to human T-cell leukaemia virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and -2). It causes enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), which is the most important neoplastic disease in cattle. Most BLV-infected cattle are asymptomatic, which potentiates extremely high shedding rates of the virus in many cattle populations. Approximately 30% of them show persistent lymphocytosis that has various clinical outcomes; only a small proportion of animals (less than 5%) exhibit signs of EBL. BLV causes major economic losses in the cattle industry, especially in dairy farms. Direct costs are due to a decrease in animal productivity and in cow longevity; indirect costs are caused by restrictions that are placed on the import of animals and animal products from infected areas. Most European regions have implemented an efficient eradication programme, yet BLV prevalence remains high worldwide. Control of the disease is not feasible because there is no effective vaccine against it. Therefore, detection and early diagnosis of the disease are essential in order to diminish its spreading and the economic l...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research