Paratuberculosis in dairy goat flocks from southern Spain: risk factors associated with seroprevalence

Abstract

BackgroundParatuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic, enteric wasting disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), with a worldwide distribution. Andalusia, located in southern Spain, is one of the European regions with the highest goat census and the highest milk production; however, current data on the prevalence of MAP in this species are not available.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with PTB in dairy goat flocks from southern Spain. A total of 3312 serum samples were collected from 48 flocks located in three different geographical areas. Health and productive parameters were surveyed during the visit to the herds.ResultsA total of 511 goats were seropositive, with overall true seroprevalence of 22.54 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval (CI95) 21.12–23.97). Of the goat herds, 87.50 per cent (CI9578.14–96.98) were seropositive. The intraherd seroprevalence was 25.43±31.71, distributed as follows: 22 flocks with a seroprevalence under 10 per cent; 18 flocks between 10 per cent and 50 per cent; and eight flocks with a frequency over 50 per cent. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant association between PTB seropositivity and the following variables: intensive production system, lack of management by batches, inappropriate ventilationandseropositivity tocaprinearthritisencephalitisvirus (CAEV).ConclusionsThe results indicate a widespread PTB infection in goat herds in southern Spain. Thus, control programmes must include management and sanitary measures to reduce the prevalence. Further experimental studies are necessary to determine the influence of CAEV-PTB coinfection on immune status.

A serosurvey of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection of goats in the North of Portugal

“…The individual and herd seroprevalence found in goats in this study was much higher than that previously reported in sheep. However, the seroprevalence reported in the present study was lower than expected considering the recent results in Southern Spain (Andaluc ıa), which found 87.5% of the herds (n 5 42) and 22.5% of goats (n 5 551) as reactors in the ELISA test (Barrero-Dom ınguez et al, 2019).…”

Spatiotemporal monitoring of selected pathogens in Iberian ibex ( Capra pyrenaica )

“…The low seroprevalence of MAP (3/564; 0.5%; CI 95%: 0.1–1.5) found in Iberian ibex in our study (Tables 1 and 2) coincides with previous reports in Spain, both in this species (Astorga Márquez et al., 2014) and in red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) (Carta et al., 2012), but contrasts with the higher seropositivity observed in other wild ruminant species in this country (Balseiro, García Marín, Solano, Garrido, & Prieto, 2008; Boadella et al., 2010). A markedly high seroprevalence of MAP has been reported in the study area in livestock species, including the domestic goat (Barrero‐Domínguez et al., 2019). Our results suggest that it is unlikely that the Iberian ibex makes a significant contribution to the maintenance of Brucella spp.…”

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Sheep and Goats in Austria: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors and Detection from Boot Swab Samples

“…Due to different study design, sampling frames and the uncertainty of the diagnostic tests, MAP prevalence among small ruminants is difficult to estimate [4]. A few studies describe several risk factors associated with MAP prevalence in small ruminants [5][6][7][8][9][10][11], but further research is needed to confirm their validity for the local small ruminant population.…”