title: Prevalence of serum antibodies to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in cattle in Galicia (northwest Spain).
abstract: Prior to establishing a control and prevention program for Johne's disease in cattle in Galicia (northwest Spain), a survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of the disease. For this survey, 61,069 animals of at least 1-year of age from 2735 randomly selected herds were bled and samples analyzed with a commercial ELISA. The estimated true individual-level prevalences--assuming the manufacturer's reported test sensitivity of 48.5% and specificity of 98.9%--were 3.02% in dairy cattle, 1.03% in beef cattle and 2.83% in animals from farms with both dairy and beef cattle. True herd prevalences (with herds declared positive if one or more animals tested positive) were 10.69% for dairy herds, 0% for beef herds and 2.71% for mixed herds. When herds were declared positive if at least two animals tested positive, true herd prevalences were 14.75% for dairy herds, 1.47% for beef herds and 12.01% for mixed herds. Assuming a higher specificity of 99.4%, true individual-level prevalences increased to 4.03% in dairy herds, 2.07% in beef herds and 3.84% in mixed herds. Herd prevalences were 27.77%/18.79%, 2.78%/2.40% and 5.70%/12.24% (using the one/two-animal cut-offs) in dairy, beef and mixed herds, respectively. In conclusion, these results seem to indicate that a small percentage of cows and a rather high percentage of dairy herds in this region are MAP-seropositive.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Animal Health Unit, Institute of Food Analysis and Research, Santiago de Compostela University, Campus Universitario s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain. jdieguez@lugo.usc.es
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Diéguez
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arnaiz
authors.forename: María L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sanjuán
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vilar
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial