Population and biological preconditions for the cattle retroviruses` expansion
D. Abdessemed, E. S. Krasnikova, V. A. Agoltsov, A. V. Krasnikov
Section: Social ecology
This research was aimed at studying of population and biological aspects of cattle retroviruses’ expansion, such as
breed and age of animals, form of head ownership, retroviruses biology.
Bovine leukemia virus
(
BLV
) and
bovine immuno
-
deficiency virus
(
BIV
) are retroviruses which cause chronic incurable diseases of cattle. These agents have a phylogenetic
relationship with similar pathogens in humans. There is a possible danger of viral entry to humans through the consump
-
tion of infected foodstuffs. 773 blood samples from Black-and-White, Holstein, Simmental, Kazakh White-headed and
crossbred cattle of different districts of the Saratov region were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Studies
reveal that
bovine immunodeficiency
and
bovine leukemia viruses
are spread widely in cattle of the Saratov region: 30.5%
and 39.8% on average, respectively. The infection rate varies considerably depending on age-sex group affiliation and
cattle ownership.
BIV
and
BLV
infection rates increase with the animals age, especially among farm herd. Significant
epizootic feature of retroviral infections in cattle in the Saratov region is a high level of retroviral coinfection – 25.2%
on average. The clinical complications of
BIV
infection, confirmed by laboratory studies, were most frequently recorded
in cattle aged 5–10 years. For analysis of diagnostic accuracy of serological and molecular genetic methods for enzootic
bovine leucosis diagnosis, 271 cattle blood samples were studied by PCR and AGIDT (agar gel immunodiffusion test) in
parallel. The comparative analysis shows that diagnostic efficiency of AGIDT in comparison to PCR is 30.8%. Taking into
account the retroviruses biological features, the PCR assay can be recommend as a screening method for
BLV
-infection
revealing, especially when the imported cattle are quarantined at the place of keeping. In herds with high
BLV
-infection
level, cattle should be tested for
BIV
presence to stop the cattle retroviruses’ expansion.
Keywords: polymerase chain reaction, agar gel immunodiffusion test, retroviruses, enzootic bovine leucosis, bovine immunodeficiency, expansion, diagnostics
Article published in number 3 for 2018 DOI: 10.25750/1995-4301-2018-3-116-124
ISSN 1995-4301
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