BIO-INCIDENCE OF BOVINE JOHNE"S DISEASE IN DAIRY BUFFALOES IN CENTRAL AND NORTH INDIA USING SENSITIVE GOAT BASED "INDIGENOUS ELISA KIT" AND TRADITIONAL TESTS

Present study was aimed to estimate the bio-incidence of Bovine Johne‟s disease in native population of buffaloes (Murrah, Zaffarabadi and Bhadawari) in dairy farms and farmer‟s herds located in Central and North India. Total 156 serum samples were screened from a dairy herd in Kiratpur (Malwa region), and 41.0% buffaloes were positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection using „Indigenous ELISA kit‟. In another study, 101 young males (farmer‟s herds) from the native tract (Jind / Rohtak, Haryana) of Murrah breed were screened and 80.1% were reported positive by kit. In a farm herd of Bhadawari buffaloes in its native tract (Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh) and dairy herd of Murrah buffaloes procured from native tract and kept in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, In the two farms 20.0% buffaloes were screened and 71.4% were positive by fecal Microscopy. Study reported high bio-incidence of BJD in native breeds of buffaloes in Malwa region of Central India, Etawah and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and Jind / Rohtak (Haryana) regions of North India, despite high slaughter rate, for meat harvesting. Goat based 'Indigenous ELISA kit' was employed for screening since commercial kits were costly for the screening of buffaloes. Moreover Imported 'ELISA kits' were based on PPA from 'Cattle Type' biotype', a different strain from other geographical regions / country. „Indigenous ELISA kit‟ using native 'Indian Bison type' biotype was efficient, specific and cost effective 'mass screening' test to estimate bio-incidence of BJD in large population of buffaloes at National level.