Serological study of the incidence and prevalence of antibodies to bovine leukemia virus in aged sera.

Ninety-seven sera collected from 21 animals that had been repeatedly sampled more than 17 years before and stored at -18 degrees C were tested for bovine leukemia virus antibodies using the agar gel immunodiffusion test. The prevalences for the different ages matched current prevalences in the same herd. The consistency of these results over a prolonged period suggests the validity of long-term retrospective seroepidemiological studies of this disease. Because the original titers could not be determined and some indications of a possible loss of activity, the results must be interpreted with a measure of caution.