Pathomorphological and immunohistological changes in lymph nodes of cows spontaneously infected by bovine leukaemia virus

Abstract

Prescapular lymph nodes from 109 cows seropositive to bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) were subjected to histologic, cytochemical and in dubious cases also to immunohistologic examination for the presence of light chains of bovine immunoglobulin (Ig) kappa or lambda. By their morphological features, the histologically detected changes were divided into B-zonal hyperplasia (23 cases, 21.1%), T-zonal hyperplasia (52 cases, 47.7%), pulp proliferation (6 cases, 5.5%), hyperplasia of mixed type (18 cases, 16.5%), and atrophy (10 cases, 9.2%). Some changes resembled those reported in infections with human or feline immunodeficiency virus. Eosinophilic infiltration was a frequent feature. Immunohistochemical examination revealed only a lambda Ig chain in the cytoplasm of plasma cells or plasmacytoid cells and immunoblasts in pulp proliferation. Cytochemical examination showed a considerable number of cells with a diffuse positive reaction to acid phosphatase (AP).