BLV/Leukosis: Untreatable does not mean unmanageable

Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV, Leukosis) is untreatable, incurable, and affects 84% of all dairy herds and 10% of all beef herds in the U.S. But, it is not unmanageable!

In this January, 2023, webinar, Dr. Don Niles and leading Michigan State University (MSU) researcher, Dr. Tasia Kendrick, discusses recent research efforts that will help you manage the effects of BLV on dairy- and beef-cattle health and productivity. You will learn:
-- Identifying prevalence and transmission in young stock,
-- Genetic markers associated with disease progression,
-- Economic impacts of BLV,
-- Management strategies to decrease or eliminate BLV in your herd, and
-- How to identify the most contagious animals and prevent them from contaminating other animals.

Dr. Tasia Kendrick completed her Bachelor of Science at Purdue University and graduate work at the University of Missouri. She worked as a member of the USDA Ruminant Diseases and Immunology Research Unit before obtaining a faculty position at MSU in 2017. Dr. Kendrick’s research program has focused on the effects BLV plays on dairy- and beef-cattle health and productivity.

Dr. Don Niles graduated from the University of Minnesota with a D.V.M., practiced in Casco, Wis., and also worked as a Monsanto Technical Service veterinarian in Visalia, Calif. From 2001-2019, Dr. Niles was the co-owner and manager of Dairy Dreams, LLC, a 3,000-cow dairy in northeast Wisconsin. Since 2019, he's been the Dairy Operations Manager for all the Pagel’s family businesses. Dr. Niles has been a featured speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics relating to proper cow care and practices that will help maintain healthy animals.