Bulk-tank milk ELISA antibodies for estimating the prevalence of paratuberculosis in Danish dairy herds

S. S. Nielsen*, S. M. Thamsborg, H. Houe, V. Bitsch

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

76 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) has been widespread in Danish dairy herds for a long time but the herd-level prevalence has never been determined precisely. To evaluate the prevalence of paratuberculosis in Danish dairy herds in various regions, an ELISA based on a commercially available antigen was adapted for testing bulk-tank milk for the presence of antibodies to Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Bulk-tank milk samples were collected from six milk-collecting centres from six different areas of the country. Samples from 900 herds (about 7.5% of all Danish dairy herds) were examined, and 70% were positive at the statistically optimal cut-off (sensitivity 97.1%; specificity 83.3%). The technical performance of the ELISA was not sufficient to provide a tool for surveillance because even slight changes in optical density for the samples would change the classification of some samples. The infection is more widespread than previous investigations have shown. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPreventive Veterinary Medicine
Volume44
Issue number1-2
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
ISSN0167-5877
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Mar 2000

Keywords

  • Bulk-tank milk
  • Cattle-microbiological diseases
  • ELISA
  • Johne's disease
  • Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

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