http:///comments The latest comments on the article 'Bovine leukemia virus in human breast tissues' 2006-03-23T18:31:32Z /comments#232512 <p>There are some additional features of BLV which qualify it as a causal agent for breast cancer: It induces monocytes to form giant cells.</p><p>The osteoclasts physiologically active in bone resorption and during breast cancer metastasis develop from monocytes, too. Bone metastasis is an important feature of human, feline and canine breast cancer. All three species are frequently raised with bovine milk, although neither physians nor vets propagate it.</p><p>HTLV-1 the close relative of BLV is found in acut T-cell leukemia ATL. A disease for which hypercalcemia is as typical as for breast cancer.</p><p>MMTV induced tumors in mice rarely metastasize and they do not not show bone metastases.</p><p>Traces of an MMTV like, not identical retrovirus are often found in human breast cancer. BLV is not identical. That would make it a better candidate to fit with these traces than MMTV itself.</p><p> </p><p>Elisabeth Rieping, Cologne</p><p><a href='http://www.erieping.de'>BMC</a></p> Elisabeth Rieping 2006-03-23T18:31:32Z Buehring et al. Breast Cancer Research 3 A14 Tue May 29 00:00:00 BST 2001