Evaluation of radioimmunoprecipitation for the detection of bovine leukemia virus infection in domestic cattle.

The potential application of a recently developed radioimmunoprecipitation test for antibody directed against the major structural protein of bovine leukemia virus was evaluated for use in detection of BLV-infection in domestic cattle. This technique was found to be considerably more sensitive than serologic procedures currently being utilized for this purpose. Radioimmunoprecipitation was also shown to have distinct advantages as compared to hematologic criteria, such as specified by Bendixen's index, for identification of BLV-infected animals. By the use of radioimmunoprecipitation, high levels of antibody to BLV were demonstrated in sera of animals with confirmed adult lymphosarcoma, but not in animals with a less common sporadic form of the disease which occurs in calves.