Seroprevalence ofspp.in cow-calf herds located in the prairie provinces of Canada.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence ofspp.(MAP) in cow-calf herds located in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba using a serum ELISA test. ANIMALS: Study herds were recruited from the Western Canadian Cow-calf Surveillance Network (WCSN) designed to monitor factors related to the health and productivity of cow-calf herds. Overall, 1791 cows from 92 herds were included in the study. PROCEDURE: Blood samples were collected from 20 cows per herd in a systematic random fashion by private veterinarians in the fall of 2014. A serum ELISA (IDEXX, Westbrook, Maine, USA) test was used for the detection of MAP antibodies in the blood samples. RESULTS: The cow level seroprevalence across all 3 provinces was 1.5%. Alberta had the lowest cow seroprevalence (1.3%) followed by Saskatchewan (1.7%), and Manitoba (2.1%). Herd level data showed that 24% of herds had at least 1 positive animal and 5% had at least 2 positive animals. Seroprevalence estimates varied between geographical regions within each province and with herd size. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent prevalence of MAP in prairie cow-calf herds remains low and similar to past estimates for the region. However, controlling the spread of Johne's disease in the western Canadian cow-calf herd should be considered an important discussion point in the beef industry. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Ongoing surveillance of Johne's disease in western Canadian beef herds is necessary for mitigating disease spread before it becomes a disease of major concern within the industry.