Objective To estimate current US herd-level and animal-level prevalence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) in dairy cows and characterize epidemiologic features. Design Cross-sectional observational study design and survey. Animals 4120 dairy cows from 103 commercial dairy herds in 11 states across the US. Procedures Milk samples were collected from dairy cows through routine commercial sampling and tested for anti-BLV antibodies by antibody capture ELISA. Based on the ELISA results of a sample of an average of 40 cows per herd, within-herd apparent prevalence (AP) was estimated by a directly standardized method and by a lactation-weighted method for each herd. Within-herd AP estimates were summarized to give estimates of US herd-level and animal-level AP. Differences in AP by lactation, region, state, breed, and herd size were examined to characterize basic epidemiologic features of BLV infection. Results 94.2% of herds had at least one BLV antibody positive cow detected. The average within-herd standardized AP was 46.5%. Lactation-specific AP increased with increasing lactation number, from 29.7% in first lactation cows to 58.9% in 4th and greater lactation cows. Significant differences were not observed based on region, state, breed, or herd size. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance These results are consistent with a historical trend of increasing prevalence of BLV among US dairy cattle. Given the findings of other studies on the negative impacts of BLV infection on milk production and cow longevity, these findings are clinically relevant for veterinarians counseling dairy clients on the risks of BLV to their herds.

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The nature of a visit to a child advocacy center (CAC) following an allegation of child abuse has the potential to be challenging for children and their non-offending caregiver for a variety of reasons. Within a CAC, Certified Child Life Specialists are able to call upon their unique skill set to support children throughout the many elements of a forensic evaluation process. In an effort to reduce anxiety, enhance coping, and provide developmentally appropriate play and education opportunities for children in this setting, child life specialists serve as integral members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT). In their active role, child life specialists are able to collaborate with community MDT members to creatively and effectively support children throughout the forensic evaluation process. The need for child life involvement in CACs and during the investigative forensic evaluation process is highly valuable when reflecting on the benefit and overall experience for children and their families.