2017 Volume 70 Issue 8 Pages 511-515
This study evaluated the efficacy of the detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in environmental samples as a screening test to determine a herd's paratuberculosis (PTB) status. MAP DNA was detected in environmental samples from 29 herds at the point of detection of MAP-infected cattle. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between the probability of detection and the amount of viable MAP in the feces (shedding level: SL) of MAP-infected cattle. The probability of detection increased with increasing the SL of MAP-infected cattle. The SL of MAP-infected cattle associated with a 90% probability of detection was 7.8×101 CFU/g. Environmental sampling will make it possible to detect herds including less infectious cattle, and it is simple and cost-effective. It is suggested that repeated environmental sampling will contribute to the progress of the PTB eradication program in Japan.
