Monitor Herds for Johne’s by milk recording

Johne’s is an infectious, chronic, progressive wasting disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (referred to as MAP). In affected animals, it can lead to progressive damage of the intestines, and in cattle, this leads to profuse and persistent scour, with severe weight loss.

The bacteria are secreted in faeces throughout infection and can last up to a year on pasture or in dried faeces. The organism is picked up through ingestion of infected material and whilst mature animals seem to show resistance to the disease, young animals are susceptible and most animals are affected at or shortly after birth.

Johne’s infections are almost always introduced to a herd by purchasing infected replacement breeding stock – although there are other risks of introducing the disease including importing slurry from other farms and swapping colostrum between herds.

Symptoms of Johne's disease are extremely rare in cattle under two years old. The most obvious sign of the possibility of infection is profuse diarrhoea resembling bubbly, dirty water. A gradual weight loss can be seen in most cases and if left, can lead to emaciation and death. A decrease in milk yield can often be seen in dairy cows prior to the observation of other symptoms.

It is important to implement a Johne's Testing Protocol by analysing milk samples taken as part of routine recording to identify individual cow disease status. The test detects the presence of antibodies in milk specific to the Mycobacterium paratuberculosis bacterium. 

At present, there is no effective treatment for infected animals, as vaccination is not an available option as it can interfere with tests for TB.  If individual results indicate the presence of Johne's it is recommended to contact your veterinary surgeon.

To help monitor and manage cows the Johne’s Tracker is a powerful tool for analysing previous and current quarterly Johne’s test results, along with other herd data, providing a clear picture of disease progression in herds and supporting industry efforts to tackle the disease.

For information on testing your herd for Johne’s call 01923 695319 or visit www.thecis.co.uk