Bovine leukemia virus infection in a large Holstein herd: prospective comparison of production and reproductive performance in antibody-negative and antibody-positive cows.

Serum samples from lactating cows in a purebred Holstein herd were tested annually (from 1977 to 1980) for antibodies to bovine leukemia virus (BLV), using the agargel immunodiffusion test. Production and reproductive variables were obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement Association records. All milk and fat production values were converted to 3.5% fat-corrected milk (FCM). Variables examined included: FCM, 305-day actual; FCM, 305-day mature-equivalent; FCM, total lactation; FCM per day, 305-day actual; total days milked during lactation; days nonlactating; age at calving; calving interval; days open, and number of times bred. Lactations were stratified from 1 to greater than 5 for comparison of variables. A matched case-control analysis was performed to assess the risk of clinical mastitis in BLV-infected cows. The retention of BLV antibody-negative and antibody-positive cows in the herd was compared. There were no significant trends in the means of production and reproductive variables between BLV antibody-negative and antibody-positive cows. The relative risk of clinical mastitis in BLV antibody-positive cows was 1.3, which was not significant (P greater than 0.05). Survivorship analysis over 3 years demonstrated no significant difference in the retention of BLV antibody-negative and antibody-positive cows in the herd. The BLV-infected cows did not have lower milk production, poorer reproductive efficiency, increased prevalence of mastitis, or lesser longevity in the herd than did noninfected cows.