Seroprevalence of bovine paratuberculosis infections in Poland*)

摘要

Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) is a chronic contagious inflammation of the intestines of both domestic and wild ruminants. An etiological factor of this disease is Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), which is a Gramm-positive, slowly growing, acid-resistant mycobacterium. MAP is also insusceptible to a number of environmental factors as well as disinfecting and therapeutic agents. It is transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route, especially from manure and environment contamination by infected adult cattle, whereas young cattle are reported to be the most susceptible to MAP infection (18). Cases of paratuberculosis (JD) have currently been recorded in most European countries (10), in both Americas (8, 9), Asia (17) and Australia and New Zealand (7, 16). As shown in scientific reports, paratuberculosis causes considerable economic losses (1, 11), especially in herds of dairy cattle, in which its incidence is statistically higher than in herds of meattype cattle (2). Giventhe extent of economic losses, MAP occurrence in milk (including pasteurized milk) (5), and the insufficiently elucidated role of the mycobacterium in Crohn's disease in humans, it is necessary to undertake research into the dissemination of JD as a potential zoonosis.