Bovine Leukemia Virus DNA in Human Breast Tissue

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Buehring, Gertrude Case ; Shen, Hua Min ; Jensen, Hanne M. ; Choi, K. Yeon ; Sun, Dejun ; Nuovo, Gerard
• Description:
  Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a deltaretrovirus, causes B-cell leukemia/lymphoma in cattle and is prevalent in herds globally. A previous finding of antibodies against BLV in humans led us to examine the possibility of human infection with BLV. We focused on breast tissue because, in cattle, BLV DNA and protein have been found to be more abundant in mammary epithelium than in lymphocytes. In human breast tissue specimens, we identified BLV DNA by using nested liquid-phase PCR and DNA sequencing. Variations from the bovine reference sequence were infrequent and limited to base substitutions. In situ PCR and immunohistochemical testing localized BLV to the secretory epithelium of the breast. Our finding of BLV in human tissues indicates a risk for the acquisition and proliferation of this virus in humans. Further research is needed to determine whether BLV may play a direct role in human disease.
• Subjects:
  Animals Base Sequence Cattle DNA, Viral Female Genes, Viral Genome, Viral Humans Leukemia Virus, Bovine Mammary Glands, Human Molecular Sequence Data Proviruses Research Sequence Alignment Viral Core Proteins

  More +
• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 20(5):772-782.
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  20
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:870abefad89ea5590d8aab1b067ca9e9bfc3b38a004f4e3b1ea3664e39cc5b7b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/23062/cdc_23062_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 625.69 KB ]