Prevalence of subclinical paratuberculosis in dairy cattle in Uşak region

Abstract

Paratuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium avium subs. paratuberculosis a chronic, inflammatory and fatal disease of ruminants. The infection is characterized by chronic "subclinic" phase. Cattle in this phase is capable of infecting other animals in the herd. Although the presence of paratuberculosis has been known, the scientific studies on the disease and the prevalence appears to be scarced in Turkey. Thus, there is no scientific report on prevalence of the disease in dairy cattle in Uşak region. In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence of subclinic paratuberculosis in dairy cattle farming in Uşak region in Turkey. In the study a total of 200 Holstein dairy cattle aged between 3-7 years clinically healthy with optimum milk yield and body condition score were used. The MAP were identified in feces and milk samples using direct bacterioscopy technique, and in positive samples by culturing and Polymerase Chain Reaction (outer and nested) techniques. In Uşak region in dairy cattle the prevalence of paratuberculosis was determined to be 17% by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, 9.5% by Outer Polymerase Chain Reaction and 20% Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction in feces; 4% according to bacteriologic culture results; 15.5% by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, 5.5% by Outer Polymerase Chain Reaction and 17.5% by Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction in milk samples and 2.5% according to bacteriologic culture results.