Assessment of Ovine Johne’s disease in the Mandya sheep breed in South India using multiple diagnostic tests and bio-typing of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection

AbstractJohne’s disease is major infectious disease of domestic livestock in India. Despite low per animal productivity, the country is yet to initiate plan for the survey and control of disease at National scale. A total of 81 clinical samples from Mandya breed of sheep were collected from an organised farm (Livestock Research and Information Centre, Nagmangala) and farmer’s flocks suspected for Johne’s disease on the basis of clinical symptoms (weakness, emaciation, diarrhea and alopecia). Only 10.0% samples from two farms were screened for bio-load of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) using multiple tests (microscopy, indigenous ELISA, IS900 PCR and culture). Results showed that 100.0% samples were positive for MAP infection both in microscopy and “Indigenous ELISA”. IS1311 PCR-REA bio-typed 60.0% (feces) and 100.0% (blood and tissue) isolates as “Indian Bison Type”. Typing investigated for the first time that biotype was of Indian origin and present in sheep flocks of South India h...