Johne’s disease is a chronic, debilitating enteritis of ruminants caused by infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (MAP). During the active stage of the infection and prior to onset of clinical disease, animals generally develop antibodies to M. paratuberculosis antigens. Uninfected animals lack specific antibodies to M. paratuberculosis. Our ELISA test PARACHEK 2 detects antibodies to M. paratuberculosis in serum, plasma, and milk in cattle. PARACHEK 2 is highly specific (>99%), and sensitivity is approximately 80%. A positive result indicates the animal is likely to be infected with M. paratuberculosis and that there are potentially other infected animals in the herd.
In the 2007 National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) study of dairies indicated that 68.1% of US dairy operations are infected with MAP and that one in four US dairies may have a high percentage of Johne's infected cows in their herd. NAHMS has also studied the costs of Johne's disease. In 1996 they found that dairy herds with low Johne's disease clinical culling rates that cost the farmers between $40 and $227 per cow.
Costs of the disease comes from several different sources including: 1) Premature culling of clinical or infected animals. 2) Increased veterinary costs. 3) Increased replacement costs. 4) Increased susceptibility to other diseases and possible breeding problems. 5)increase in overall cull rate. 6) Decreased milk production in infected but normal looking animals. 7) Decreased slaughter value of 20-30%. 8) Decreased pool of available replacements, there by limiting genetic pool. 9) loss of marketing animals for sale. 10) Loss of investment in young stock that have been infected or exposed since birth.
Submitting samples for Johne's testing is easy. Just mail or drop-off 2 mL of blood or 1 mL of serum to us along with your submission form and payment. Please collect blood in red or tiger (grey and red) topped blood collection tubes. Check out our store; for the proper collection supplies.
The PARACHEK Johne's test is ran every Thursday with results reporting Friday. Please download the submission form if you are interested in fast, accurate Johne's testing. The price is just $5.00 per sample.
