The Disease
Johne's disease (pronounced "yo-knees") or paratuberculosis
is an incurable wasting disease of ruminants caused by the bacterium, Mycobacterium
avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Although
largely considered a disease of cattle, sheep, and goats, all ruminants
are susceptible and potential carriers for the disease.
The disease primarily affects the ruminant
gut (the ileocecal valve area) causing an infectious enteritis resulting
in severe weight loss, profuse diarrhea and eventually death. An
infected animal may appear normal without showing clinical signs of the
disease for several years (2 to 6 years). During this subclinical
time, the infected animal appears normal, but is potentially shedding
large numbers of the bacteria through feces, contaminating the soil and
possibly infecting the remaining herd. Because of the prolonged
subclinical time, Johne's disease is considered a whole herd problem, not just an
individual animal problem. The economic impact of this disease on
producers is enormous, suffering severe financial losses due to reduced
milk production (dairy herds), decreased reproduction, premature culling,
and decreased carcass value at slaughter, just to name a few.
A German veterinarian, Dr. Heinrich Albert Johne, (for whom the disease is
named after) first described the disease over 100 years ago. After
all this time, there are very few absolutes in the fields of diagnosis and
prevention. The insidious nature of this disease continues to plaque
ruminants, frustrating herd owners, the livestock industry, and
researchers alike. Today, Johne's disease occurs worldwide on every
inhabitable continent and in all of the United States.
The combination of education, scheduled herd screening, and good herd
health management practices are the most effective tool in controlling and
eventually eliminating Johne's disease from an infected herd and/or
maintaining the status of Johne's test negative herd.
Your local and state veterinarian will have the appropriate information
concerning current Johne's management programs for your state.
Allied Monitor, Inc. has complete, confidential (reportable in some
states) and low cost diagnostic services to screen and monitor the status
of your herd. We will work with your local veterinarian to setup a
program, which best suites your needs. Since 1984, Allied Monitor,
Inc. remains a leader in diagnostic services, reagent production, and
research exclusively aimed towards services provided to aid in the
management of Johne's disease. Allied Monitor, Inc. is an USDA -
NVSL Johne's proficiency check test approved laboratory for its serum
ELISA and fecal culturing method.
The greatest threat to local livestock owners, beef producers, and
dairy producers is ignoring the possible impact of Johne's disease on
their herds and not testing until it is too late. The economic
impact to cleanup a herd with even a low to moderate prevalence of Johne's
disease is timely and costly. The best bet is to act now and to achieve
or maintain the status of a Johne's test negative herd. The overall
benefits will far exceed the initial costs of screening.
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