American Journal of Veterinary Research · 1978 · 76 citations · 0 references
Veterinary MedicineAnimal SciencesBiologyCompanion Animal EpidemiologyMolecular VirologyVirologyAnimal Infectious DiseasesAnimal VirusesLivestock Infectious DiseasesRuminant Infectious DiseasesVeterinary VirologyViral ZoonosesBlood-borne VirusesBovine VirologyContact Network TransmissionContact Transmission ExposureDirect Contact TransmissionLivestock Viral DiseasesLivestock Virology
The development of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection was studied in 14 noninfected young adult cattle exposed to 25 to 30 BLV-infected cows in an area of approximately 0.5 ha. Of 7 cattle (group 1) exposed beginning in July and August (midsummer) of 1976, 4 were infected by October, and all 7 by November (4 months' exposure). Of 7 cattle (group 2) exposed from February 1977 (midwinter), all remained negative for 3 months, and only 1 was positive after 6 months. By October 1977, however, 4 cattle in this group were infected, indicating that contact transmission of BLV is prevalent during the summer months. This, and the fact that BLV-infected lymphocytes were recovered from tabanids allowed to feed on a BLV-positive cow, supports the idea that bloodsucking insects play a major role in the spread of BLV.