Failure to demonstrate transmission of enzootic bovine leukemia virus infection from cows to sheep by use of common injection needles.
Four bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-seropositive and 2 BLV-seronegative cows were used as donors in a study to provide evidence whether IM injection with common needles is a means of spreading bovine leukemia. Sheep were used as recipients. Of the 4 BLV-seropositive cows, 2 had high virus expression (VE; 43% and 28% of their lymphocyte thin sections had associated BLV-particles), whereas the other 2 cows did not have observed VE. After each of the 4 cows was given an injection of a 5-antigen Leptospira bacterin, a BLV-seronegative sheep was immediately given an injection of the same bacterin with the same needle. None of these sheep seroconverted, nor did either of 2 sheep given only the bacterin (with a previously unused needle). Sheep inoculated IM with 0.2 ml of whole blood from both of the cows with high VE and from 1 of the 2 BLV-seropositive cows that did not have observed VE did seroconvert. In contrast, the sheep inoculated with 0.2 ml of blood from the remaining BLV-seropositive (0% VE) cow and from the 2 BLV-seronegative cows remained seronegative. These results were interpreted to indicate that the quantity of infective lymphocytes passed during injection with common needles is too small to induce infection.
Weber
A F
AF
Department of Veterinary Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108.
Meiske
J C
JC
Haggard
D L
DL
Sorensen
D K
DK
Domagala
A M
AM
Flaum
A M
AM
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary; D001909:Leukemia Virus, Bovine; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D009339:Needles; D011897:Random Allocation; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000662:veterinary