Evaluation of three different genomic regions for detection of bovine leukemia virus by real-time PCR

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is an oncogenic member of the genus Deltaretrovirus . BLV infects cattle worldwide and is responsible for significant economic losses. The objective of this study was to validate real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for the detection of BLV. After identification of the most efficient qPCR, the limits of detection, repeatability, and reproducibility were determined. The results indicate that qPCR can be easily reproduced between laboratories with high sensitivity. The test variation was low in samples from lesions suggestive of bovine leukosis or whole blood.