[Use of diagnostic DNA probes for detection of the provirus of bovine leukemia virus in infected cows]. / Ispol'zovanie diagnosticheskikh DNK-zondov dlia obnaruzheniia provirusa virusa bych'ego leikoza u infitsirovannykh korov.

A method of detection of BLV proviral DNA in the peripheral blood leukocytes of cattle is reported. Leukocytes were used without preliminary cultivation. Cell DNA was dot-hybridized with P-labeled plasmid containing a fragment of BLV proviral DNA. The sera samples taken from the cattle under study were also tested using immunodiffusion assay (ID). The results of comparison showed that dot-hybridization assay is a more sensitive diagnostic test than ID, because it detects BLV infection in apparently normal cattle, which was seronegative in ID.