Abstract
Abstract Leukaemia is a widespread worldwide disease of dairy and beef cattle, which is viral in nature. The disease is widespread in 12 out of 14 regions of Kazakhstan, which makes research aimed at prevention and elimination of this disease relevant and necessary. The purpose of this study was to analyse the literature sources on the study of the spread and diagnosis of bovine leukaemia in Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries. The methods of comparison, critical analysis, and generalisation were used in the study. As a result of the analysis, data on significant infection of animals in this region of the planet with bovine leukaemia virus were obtained. In Kazakhstan, the incidence of cow disease ranges within 4.1–18.8% but given the low coverage of serological testing of animals in the Republic of Kazakhstan, these values may not be reliable. In other countries in the region, animal infection rates ranged within 20–60%, and only Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Taiwan had disease rates below 10%. The main genotypes whose circulation was detected in this region were genotypes G1, G2, G3, G4, G6, and G10, with the highest prevalence of G1, G4, G6, and G10. In Kazakhstan, the genotype composition of the leukaemia virus was somewhat different. The G7 genotype, which is characteristic of the European part of Eurasia, was added to the characteristic genotypes. The most effective methods of early diagnosis of animal infestation include the method of immunoenzymatic analysis and molecular genetic method using polymerase chain reaction. Practical application of the conducted study lies in the possibility of tracing the origin of viral infection in animals and genetic analysis of geographical diversity of bovine leukaemia virus strains.