Special Issue "Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis: Update on Prevention and Control Strategies"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Susanne Eisenberg
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Niedersachs Tierseuchenkasse, Anstalt Offentlichen Rechts, Bruhlstr 9, D-30169 Hannover, Germany
Interests: paratuberculosis; MAP-control program; biosecurity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a common problem in the dairy industry worldwide, mainly in cattle and goats. The infection occurs in many countries and spreads due to its long incubation time and chronic nature almost unnoticed. Trading infected animals in the subclinical stage of disease is most relevant for spreading the infectious agent between herds and countries. Delayed humoral responses and delayed onset of fecal shedding hamper the early identification of infected animals and are often misused to discredit approaches to control this disease. Control strategies consist generally of test-and-cull strategies and the improvement of herd management practices based on farm-level risk assessment, but the chosen focus differs between countries and regions depending on local MAP-prevalence, economic impact, risk awareness of farmers, veterinarians and animal health authorities, as well as experiences and preferences. To date, a well-accepted certification system that limits the risk of within- and between-herd transmission is missing.

Some countries started with MAP control programs early in the twentieth century; however, MAP eradication can hardly ever be achieved, especially not for the majority of farms in that country. A strong limitation of the success of most MAP control programs is the voluntary participation. A link between MAP and human Crohn’s disease is discussed. Experiences with different control strategies and computer modelling technique’s modified goals of MAP control from ambiguous eradication strategies to stepwise prevalence reduction in affected herds, limiting the entry of MAP into the food chain and controlling between-herd transmission. The slow and chronic manifestation of MAP within a herd also results in the slow progress of control management making a long-term commitment of farmers a precondition for success. This implies that diagnostic measures should be taken, that can be easily integrated into the management routine of farms. Therefore, low labor and inexpensive specific diagnostic methods should be followed by methods with higher sensitivity when the eradication of MAP from a herd is desired.

Although in the last decade, several new interesting approaches have been implemented by animal health authorities, as well as by the dairy industry and experiences, have been gained, regional differences in prevalence, farming systems and economic structures of the dairy industry create the need for tailored control approaches. Furthermore, different mindsets and attitudes of farmers regarding paratuberculosis control require different communication strategies. Therefore, research in different fields targeting MAP diagnostic, strategic and economic objectives, as well as communication, is needed in the view of improving animal health and consumer safety.   

Dr. Susanne Eisenberg
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Attempted Control of Paratuberculosis in Dairy Calves by Only Changing the Quality of Milk Fed to Calves
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2569; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092569 - 31 Aug 2021
Abstract
One of the important routes of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) transmission in dairy calves is milk. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of milk treatments to prevent MAP infection transmission to calves. A one-year longitudinal study was [...] Read more.
One of the important routes of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) transmission in dairy calves is milk. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of milk treatments to prevent MAP infection transmission to calves. A one-year longitudinal study was carried out. Newborn calves were assigned to one of four experimental groups: 5 calves received naturally MAP-contaminated milk, 5 calves received copper treated milk, 4 calves were fed calf milk replacer, and 3 were fed UHT pasteurized milk. MAP load in milk was estimated. Infection progression was monitored monthly. After one year, calves were euthanized, and tissue samples were cultured and visually examined. MAP was undetectable in milk replacer and UHT milk. Copper ion treatment significantly reduced the number of viable MAP in naturally contaminated milk. Fecal shedding of MAP was observed in all study groups but began earlier in calves fed naturally contaminated milk. Paratuberculosis control programs must place multiple hurdles between the infection source, MAP-infected adult cows, and the most susceptible animals on the farm, young calves. As our study shows, strict dependence on a single intervention to block infection transmission, no matter how important, fails to control this insidious infection on dairy farms. Full article
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Article
Detection of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis in Pooled Fecal Samples by Fecal Culture and Real-Time PCR in Relation to Bacterial Density
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1605; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061605 - 29 May 2021
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Abstract
Within paratuberculosis control programs Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-infected herds have to be detected with minimum effort but with sufficient reliability. We aimed to evaluate a combination of random sampling (RS) and pooling for the detection of MAP-infected herds, simulating repeated RS in [...] Read more.
Within paratuberculosis control programs Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP)-infected herds have to be detected with minimum effort but with sufficient reliability. We aimed to evaluate a combination of random sampling (RS) and pooling for the detection of MAP-infected herds, simulating repeated RS in imitated dairy herds (within-herd prevalence 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.3%). Each RS consisted of taking 80 out of 300 pretested fecal samples, and five or ten samples were repeatedly and randomly pooled. All pools containing at least one MAP-positive sample were analyzed by culture and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The pool detection probability was 47.0% or 45.9% for pools of size 5 or 10 applying qPCR and slightly lower using culture. Combining these methods increased the pool detection probability. A positive association between bacterial density in pools and pool detection probability was identified by logistic regression. The herd-level detection probability ranged from 67.3% to 84.8% for pools of size 10 analyzed by both qPCR and culture. Pools of size 10 can be used without significant loss of sensitivity compared with pools of size 5. Analyzing randomly sampled and pooled fecal samples allows the detection of MAP-infected herds, but is not recommended for one-time testing in low prevalence herds. Full article
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