title: The seroprevalence of Johne's disease in Georgia beef and dairy cull cattle.
abstract: Beef and dairy cattle serum samples, collected during 2000 at sale barns throughout Georgia, were obtained from the Georgia State Brucellosis Laboratory and were used to conduct a retrospective epidemiological study. Statistical samplings of 5,307 sera, from over 200,000 sera, were tested for antibodies to Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis, (Johne's disease) using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit. An overall period seroprevalence in all classes of cattle tested was 4.73%. The period seroprevalence in dairy cattle was 9.58%, in beef cattle it was 3.95%, and in cattle of unknown breed it was 4.72%. It was concluded that the seroprevalence of Johne's disease in cull beef and dairy cattle in Georgia is economically significant.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory, The University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA.
authors.forename: Mel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pence
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: C Carter
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003612:Dairying; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies