A comparative study of enzoitic leukosis in cattle and buffaloes

Bovine enzootic leukosis is an important viral disease of cattle with a worldwide distribution. The disease is caused by a virus (Bovine lukemia virus;BLV) of the genus deltaretrovirus within the family Retroviridae.BLV can cause persistent lymphocytosis, malignant lymphoma and leukemia by impairing the proliferation of lymphoid cells. Due to lack of a proper vaccine or treatment, BLV infections cause huge economic losses and costs for the control and eradication programs. Programs to control the BLV infections are based on the screening of animals by serological methods and removing the infected animals.Blood samples were collected from 527 cattle in some sities of Khozestan province and 529 slaughtered buffaloes. The sera were assayed by ELISA to detect antibodies against BLV. Based on the results, 6.6% of examined cattle and only one buffalo (0.18%), were found to be positive for BLV specific antibodies. Statistical analysis showed there was significant difference between cattle and buffalo and cattle are more sensitive to BLV infection.