Occurrence, Diagnosis, and Strain Typing of Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Infection in Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis Canadensis) in Southwestern Alberta

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The role that wildlife may play in the transmission of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), the causative agent of Johne's disease (JD), and the potential consequences of infection in these populations are being given increasing consideration. A yearling male Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) from southwestern Alberta, Canada, was found infected with Map in August 2009. Clinical signs of emaciation and diarrhea and histologic findings of diffuse granulomatous enteritis of the distal ileum, lymphadenitis of the mesenteric lymph nodes, and lymphangitis of the ileum were similar to previously described cases of JD in bighorn sheep. Infection with Map was confirmed by bacterial isolation through fecal culture, acid-fast staining, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of IS900. The Map1506 gene was sequenced, and the isolate was identified as a Cattle (Type II) strain. In a follow-up herd-level survey, three of 44 fecal samples (7%) from individual bighorn sheep from the same herd as the index case were PCRpositive and identified as Type II Map strains. Twenty-five samples from a distant bighorn population were negative. Additional strain typing of the isolates from the index case and the positive fecal samples was done by sequencing three discriminatory short sequence repeat (SSR) regions. All four SSR profiles differed from one another, suggesting multiple introductions or a long-existing circulation of Map within this bighorn population. Detailed molecular analyses are essential for understanding and managing diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface.

Ecology and genomic features of infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Egypt

“…Unlike in sheep, which can be infected by MAP-C or MAP-S genotypes (Forde et al, 2012;Ghosh et al, 2012), all cattle isolates in this study were strictly MAP-C-type. However, further genotyping with an SSRbased approach indicated more diversity than was previously thought and provided enough justification for full genome sequencing to uncover further diversity that could not be detected by analysis of limited sequence targets.…”

Evaluation of age-dependent susceptibility in calves infected with two doses of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis using pathology and tissue culture

“…From these liquid tissue cultures, DNA was extracted as described by Forde et al [26]. Next, real-time PCR targeting the F57 region was performed as described by Slana et al [27] and based on Forde et al [28].…”

Genetic Structure of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Population in Cattle Herds in Quebec as Revealed by Using a Combination of Multilocus Genomic Analyses

“…Bovine paratuberculosis is endemic to most parts of the world, including Canada (3)(4)(5), and is considered one of the most costly infectious diseases of dairy cattle (6,7). In Canada, paratuberculosis has also been detected in sheep (8), goats (9), and wild ruminant species (10)(11)(12). M. avium subsp.…”