ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Bovine leukemia is a widespread infection worldwide, the causative agent of which is the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in structural structure and functional features similar to human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2) and It is considered as an actual medical and social problem. The study of the immune response in experimentally infected calves at an early stage of the disease development, synthesis of specific antibodies of classes G and M (IgG and IgM), diagnostic informativeness of detection of IgM in cattle leukemia is relevant and determines the purpose of this study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Samples of blood and serum of cattle: animals experimentally infected with VLCRS, patients with cattle leukemia; control negative; specific to heterologous pathogens of cattle diseases. Indirect and sandwich variant enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); commercial ELISA kits (IDEXX, USA; Hema LLC, FKP Kursk Biofactory Firm BIOK, Russia) for the detection of specific IgG and IgM for BLV in the agar gel immunodiffusion reaction (RID). RESULTS: The humoral immune response develops shortly after infection - by 1-8 weeks. IgM are detected starting from the 3rd day, and IgG from the 7th day after infection. Up to 97% of coincidence of positive results in RID and indirect variant of TF ELISA based on monoclonal antibodies to cattle IgM (IgMbovine) were found. DISCUSSION: The dynamics of the synthesis of antibodies of classes M and G to the glycoprotein gp 51 BLV has a dosedependent wave-like character, is consistent with the levels of increase / decrease in the absolute and relative number of leukocytes / blood lymphocytes of infected calves. FINDINGS: Serum specific IgM was detected starting 3 days after infection with BLV. Early detection of IgM in serum of cattle can be used as an additional test for the detection of sick animals.
