Suppression of immunological responses in rabbits experimentally infected with bovine leukemia virus.
Ten 2- to 4-month-old rabbits were inoculated subcutaneously with bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-infected bovine or sheep cells. By 6 weeks after inoculation all ten rabbits had converted to BLV antibody-positive, and BLV or BLV antigen was detected in lymphocytes from most of the rabbits tested, although there were few antigen-producing cells. Three rabbits showed continuous respiratory symptoms after infection and one died with pneumonia. Humoral immune responses against mouse serum were significantly suppressed in BLV-infected rabbits compared with non-infected control rabbits. The lymphocyte blastogenesis response was also suppressed in BLV-infected rabbits. At the time of necropsy, six rabbits showed pulmonary lesions; however, none of the BLV-infected rabbits had tumors during an observation period of over 1 year.
Onuma
M
M
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Japan.
Wada
M
M
Yasutomi
Y
Y
Yamamoto
M
M
Okada
H M
HM
Kawakami
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015726:Giant Cells; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D001909:Leukemia Virus, Bovine / Q000276:immunology*; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011817:Rabbits
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral