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A complex study on experimental oncornavirus infection in sheep was carried out. Fast development of infectious process, production of virus-specific precipitating antibodies, presence of BLV reproduction in cultivated leucocytes were found. Terms of antibody appearance ranged between 20-30 days after infection. Stable antibody carriage remained during the whole observation period (36 months). Moreover, no expressed specific changes were observed in the hemogram of tested animals. Use of electron microscopy in oncornavirus infection allows revealing cells with pathologic changes in organelles and nucleus which are characteristic of the leucosis.

The structure and morphogenesis of the cattle leukemia virus, the main biochemical and immunological characteristics and its antigenic relationship with other members of the family Retroviridae are reviewed.

Data on structural organization and interactions inside the virion of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) proteins are presented. Uniqueness of the structural organization of BLV proteins having no antigenic relationship between the corresponding animal retrovirus proteins is emphasized. Certain connection is also observed in the structural organization of surface glycoprotein gp69, major internal protein p24 and internal protein p12 with the corresponding polypeptides of human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV). It is shown that BLV proteins form various complexes inside the virion which are not found in other known retroviruses. A structural model of BLV is presented.