IMMUNO-BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL GENETIC VARIANTS OF BOVINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE URAL REGION

Leukemia in animals is a serious disease of the cancer nature – the hemoblastosis, the etiologic factor of which is the bovine leukemia virus belonging to the family Retroviridae, the genus Deltaretrovirus. The causative agent is widely spread all over the world, including the Russian Federation. The main symptom of the disease is the malignant proliferation of cells of the hematopoietic organs with a violation of their maturation. Developing quantitative and qualitative disorders of the hematopoietic system are noted in the diseased organism. This paper presents data on the effects of leukemia virus on the process of hematopoiesis in cattle in the conditions of the Ural region. Infected animals of the Tyumen region were identified by serological studies (RID, ELISA) and molecular genetic studies (PCR) of isolates of bovine leukemia virus. The RFLP method established the predominant presence of the “Belgian genotype” in the samples. The env (glycoprotein envelope) gene of leukemia pathogen was sequenced. The immune-hematological studies of cattle, infected with leukemia virus in the conditions of the Ural region, were conducted. The obtained data showed a significant increase in the number of leukocytes, lymphocytes in the blood of leukemic animals, a sharp decrease in the number of eosinophils, monocytes, CIC (circulating immune complexes), phagocytosis, T and B lymphocytes