Circulating Cell-Free DNA of Bovine Leukemia Virus: A Promising Biomarker for Enzootic Bovine Leukosis.

ABSTRACT: Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in approximately 1%-5% of infected cattle after a long latent period. Few biomarkers effectively distinguish non-EBL from EBL cattle. Given the rapid turnover of tumor cells, we hypothesized that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma could serve as a more effective biomarker for EBL diagnosis. We measured the proviral load (PVL) in whole blood and plasma by quantitative PCR targeting LTR and pol. Consistent with previous reports, PVL levels in whole blood in EBL cattle were generally higher than those in non-EBL with some overlap between these two groups. In contrast, PVL in plasma clearly distinguished non-EBL from EBL ones. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed plasma PVL perfectly discriminated EBL from non-EBL

SUBMITTER: Jahan MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12414443 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature