Modest Advances in Identifying MAP Infections

Johne’s disease or paratuberculosis is a disease in ruminants where the pathogen Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis infects the animal at a young age. After months or years of incubation the disease will start to manifest clinically and the ultimate diagnosis is by finding the pathogen in the faeces. This talk will explore about advances in the use of antibody ELISA in the milk of dairy cows in order to detect an incubating infection, as early identification will allow the chance of disease control before it is passed on to the next generation. The importance of co-infection with bovine tuberculosis, as well as the importance of age on the ELISA test performance will be explored. In addition, the time of detection in relation to the risk of future MAP transmission will be discussed with the aim to gain further understanding of possible prevention options.