Prevalence of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in Austrian cattle 2002/03 in comparison to 1997/98

摘要

Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) is a chronic infectious disease in ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP), which is widely distributed throughout the world. Economic losses associated with paratuberculosis due to increased milk production, reduced fertility and premature culling can be high in affected herds (Whitlock, 1996). Cattle slaughtered in Austria in 2002/03 were serological and bacteriological tested for the presence of MAP. Animals were chosen in a way to achieve statistically balanced samples from all parts of Austria. Blood serum was analysed using the Svanovir~(TM)-ELISA (Svanova Biotech, Uppsala, Sweden). Faeces, lymph nodes and intestinal samples were tested for MAP by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial culture.