STRUKTURA WIRUSA NIEDOBORU ODPORNOŚĆ BYDŁA I CHARAKTERYSTYKA NATURALNYCH ZAKAŻEŃ

The Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus (BIV) is a lentiviral pathogen causes a latent viral infection of cattle and appears to be widespread in the cattle population in the world. A subsequent study has shown that BIV is genetically similar to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Like other lentiviruses BIV is characterized by high genetic diversity and env gene seems to be the most affected by genetic variation. Evaluation of the cell tropism of BIV revealed that the virus may be pantropic for leukocytes. The pathologic effect on cattle has not been determined, although some reports have linked BIV to clinical immunodeficiency, lymphoadenopathy and lymphoproliferation. It is presumable that BlV-induced immune dysfunction can predispose cattle to infection with other pathogens, although little is known about the effects and consequences of mixed infections of BIV and other infectious agents.