Evaluation of BIV and BLV coinfection in slaughtered culling cattle in northwest of Iran

Abstract

Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) and bovine leukemia virus (BLV) have widespread distribution and different prevalence in the world, but their prevalence in the northwestern of Iran especially in West Azerbaijan Province is unknown. The paper investigated the presence of the infections in native and Holstein slaughtered culling cattle and evaluated associations of different parameters including age, body condition score, temperature, and strain of cattle in the infected animals. Genomic DNA, derived from buffy coat samples, was analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for the gag genes of both BIV and BLV. Despite using a method that detected a minimum of ten proviral copies, BIV sequences were not detected in any of 50 buffy coats obtained from slaughtered culling cows. On the other hand, five of the samples were proved to be positive for BLV. All of the five BLV positive samples belong to industry dairy farms showing that industry cattle are more susceptible to the BLV infection than the cattle natively reared. The study shows no evidence of BIV infection and no correlation between BIV and BLV infection.