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- Title
Successful Control of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Infection in a Dairy Herd within a Decade—A Case Study.
- Authors
Donat, Karsten; Einax, Esra; Rath, Doreen; Klassen, Anne
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Paratuberculosis impacts animal welfare and the economic performance of dairy herds by causing reduced milk yield and carcass weight and premature culling. Due to the ability of the infectious agent Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) to survive in the environment for a long time, the limited diagnostic accuracy of tests, and the long incubation period, successful elimination of MAP from a cattle herd is doubted. This study describes measures applied to control the disease in a 450-head dairy herd and, as the result of these measures, the progress of prevalence reduction to a level where the infectious agent was not detectable anymore in any individual sample and from the liquid manure of the herd. MAP shedders were detected by the bacteriological cultivation of individual faecal samples from each cow in annual intervals and MAP shedders were removed from the herd in a timely manner. Calves were kept outside the barn of adult cows and hygienic measures to minimize their MAP exposure were established. The results demonstrate that the elimination of MAP might be possible within 10 years. Voluntary control programs are effective in controlling paratuberculosis in closed herds by providing adequate diagnostic, logistic, and financial support for farmers. This longitudinal case study provides an in-detail report of the process towards the elimination of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) from a closed 450-head commercial dairy herd. In parallel, two diagnostic approaches were applied to all cows in annual intervals during 2012–2022: detection of MAP in individual faecal samples by bacteriological cultivation on solid medium and detection of MAP-specific antibodies by ELISA. For each annual sampling, the kappa coefficients for test agreement and the survival rates of MAP-positive and MAP-negative cows were calculated. Applying a multivariable linear regression model revealed a significantly lower fat-corrected 305-day milk yield for MAP-positive cows. The true prevalence of MAP shedders reduced from 24.2% in 2012 to 0.4% in 2019 and during 2020–2022, no MAP shedder was identified. Test agreement was generally low and bacteriological cultivation showed positive results earlier than the ELISA. In the first years of control, the survival of MAP shedders was longer than in the final stage. In conclusion, the elimination of MAP from a dairy herd might be feasible within a decade. Changes in the test agreement must be considered. Timely removal of MAP shedders, hygienic calf rearing, and colostrum supply are key for successful control.
- Subjects
MYCOBACTERIUM avium paratuberculosis; ANIMAL herds; DAIRY cattle; DAIRY farm management; CATTLE herding; MILK yield; ANIMAL welfare
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 6, p984
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani14060984