Longitudinal studies of immune function in cattle experimentally infected with bovine immunodeficiency-like virus and/or bovine leukemia virus

Abstract The effects of single or dual infection with bovine immunodeficiency-like virus (BIV) and/or bovine leukemia virus (BLV) on bovine immune function were examined over a 4 year period. Holstein calves were infected with BIV (four calves), BLV (five calves), BIV and BLV (five calves), or sham inoculated (three calves). Lymphocyte blastogenesis to mitogens, seven tests of neutrophil function, and mononuclear cell subset analysis by flow cytometry (BoCD4, BoCD8, BoCD2, BoWC1, sIgM + , and monocytes) were performed at regular intervals to 49 months post-infection. These data were analyzed for main effects of each virus and interaction as a 2 × 2 factorial. BIV infected cattle had lower neutrophil antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and iodination responses during 2 of the 4 years post-infection ( P