Factors associated with Anaplasma spp. seroprevalence among dogs in the United States

Background Dogs in the United States are hosts to a diverse range of ticks and tick-borne pathogens, including A. phagocytophilum, an important emerging canine and human pathogen. Previously, a Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC)-sponsored workshop proposed factors purported to be associated with the infection risk for tick-transmitted pathogens in dogs in the United States, including climate conditions, socioeconomic characteristics, local topography, and vector distribution. Methods Approximately four million test results from routine veterinary diagnostic tests from 2011–2013, which were collected on a county level across the contiguous United States, are statistically analyzed with the proposed factors via logistic regression and generalized estimating equations. Spatial prevalence maps of baseline Anaplasma spp. prevalence are constructed from Kriging and head-banging smoothing methods. Results All of the examined factors, with the exception of surface water coverage, were significantly associated with Anaplasma spp. prevalence. Overall, Anaplasma spp. prevalence increases with increasing precipitation and forestation coverage and decreases with increasing temperature, population density, relative humidity, and elevation. Interestingly, socioeconomic status and deer/vehicle collisions were positively and negatively correlated with canine Anaplasma seroprevalence, respectively. A spatial map of the canine Anaplasma hazard is an auxiliary product of the analysis. Anaplasma spp. prevalence is highest in New England and the Upper Midwest. Conclusions The results from the two posited statistical models (one that contains an endemic areas assumption and one that does not) are in general agreement, with the major difference being that the endemic areas model estimates a larger prevalence in Western Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. As A. phagocytophilum is zoonotic, the results of this analysis could also help predict areas of high risk for human exposure to this pathogen

Efficacy of interventions and role of raw colostrum feeding programs in the transmission of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2009. Major: Veterinary Medicine. Advisors: Scott J Wells and Sandra M Godden. 1 computer file (PDF); ix 145 pages.This thesis described the role of raw bovine colostrum feeding programs and natural nursing practices in the transmission of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), and the efficacy of commercially available colostrum replacement products in preventing MAP transmission, additional to their effect on production and longevity performance outcomes. Incidences of fecal excretion of MAP by calves following natural exposure were also evaluated. Calves fed CR (vs MC) had a lower risk of MAP infection when the serum ELISA (HR = 0.474, P = 0.081), bacterial fecal culture (HR = 0.572, P = 0.076) or both test combinations (HR = 0.559, P = 0.056) were used to define MAP status of study cohorts, suggesting that MC could be an important vehicle by which calves become exposed to MAP within hours following birth, and that CR feeding programs may be an effective management tool for use in dairy herds in a Johne’s disease control effort. From birth-to-54 months of follow-up, risk of death (HR = 1.22, P = 0.17), culling (HR =1.01, P = 0.95), and death and/or culling (HR = 1.1, P = 0.61) event outcomes did not significantly differ between groups (CR vs MC). Similarly there were no significant differences between groups (CR vs MC) with respect to the risk of death (HR = 1.22, P = 0.46), culling (HR =1.01, P = 0.98), and death and/or culling (HR = 1.05, P = 0.85) event outcomes when only heifers that entered the lactating herd (period from first calving date to 54 months of age) were considered. Feeding CR (vs MC) had no significant effect on age at first calving (P = 0.34), number of breedings per conception in the first (P = 0.83) and second (P = 0.32) lactations respectively, and calving-to-conception intervals in the first (P = 0.7) and second (P = 0.21) lactations, respectively. Considering the milk yield outcome, feeding CR (vs MC) significantly (P = 0.02) decreased first lactation milk by 429 kg, although there were no significant effects of feeding CR (vs MC) on second lactation (P = 0.18) and lifetime milk yields (P = 0.5), respectively. Risk of MAP infection was not significantly different between groups of calves that ingested MAP DNA positive colostrum (vs MAP DNA negative colostrum) when the serum ELISA (HR = 0.74, P = 0.65), bacterial fecal culture (HR = 0.92, P = 0.85) or both test combinations (HR = 0.82, P = 0.65) were used to define MAP status of study (HR = 0.74, P = 0.65), bacterial fecal culture (HR = 0.92, P = 0.85) or both test combinations (HR = 0.82, P = 0.65) were used to define MAP status of study cohorts, suggesting lack of an added risk of MAP infection associated with ingesting MAP DNA positive raw colostrum by Holstein calves. This finding contradicted several other reports which seem to provide evidence in support of colostrum as a possible early vehicle by which calves get exposed to MAP in infected herds. Cows that were fecal culture positive were significantly more likely to have detectable MAP in their colostrum (OR =2.02 , P < 0.001) and teat skin (OR =1.87 , P = 0.008) compared with fecal culture negative cows with the population attributable fraction estimates for exposure for each of the latter outcomes being 18% and 19.5%, respectively. Finally, MAP was not recovered from fecal samples collected between 1-to-90 d of age and tested using the sedimentation bacterial culture method suggesting that the calves studied did not excrete detectable levels of MAP in feces following natural exposure.Pithua, Patrick. (2009). Efficacy of interventions and role of raw colostrum feeding programs in the transmission of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/54665

Estimated Prevalence of Caprine Paratuberculosis in Boer Goat Herds in Missouri, USA

The objective of this study was to estimate true animal-level and herd-level prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) antibodies in Missouri Boer goat herds. Sera harvested from blood samples collected from goats ≥24 months of age in 25 Missouri Boer goat herds were tested for presence of MAP antibodies using a commercial ELISA kit. Herds were declared positive for MAP if one or more goats in the herd tested positive for MAP antibodies. True animal, within-herd, and between-herd prevalences were calculated using the Rogan-Gladen estimator and were 1.4% (95% CI = 0.1 to 3.6%), 3% (95% CI = 0 to 6%), and 54.7% (95% CI = 28.2 to 86.2%), respectively. Findings in this study confirmed that MAP infection is endemic in Missouri Boer goat herds

Estimated Prevalence of Caprine Paratuberculosis in Boer Goat Herds in Missouri, USA

The objective of this study was to estimate true animal-level and herd-level prevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) antibodies in Missouri Boer goat herds. Sera harvested from blood samples collected from goats ≥24 months of age in 25 Missouri Boer goat herds were tested for presence of MAP antibodies using a commercial ELISA kit. Herds were declared positive for MAP if one or more goats in the herd tested positive for MAP antibodies. True animal, within-herd, and between-herd prevalences were calculated using the Rogan-Gladen estimator and were 1.4% (95% CI = 0.1 to 3.6%), 3% (95% CI = 0 to 6%), and 54.7% (95% CI = 28.2 to 86.2%), respectively. Findings in this study confirmed that MAP infection is endemic in Missouri Boer goat herds

A randomized controlled trial on preweaning morbidity, growth and mortality in Holstein heifers fed a lacteal-derived colostrum replacer or pooled maternal colostrum

Abstract Background The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to determine the effect of feeding a commercial lacteal-derived colostrum replacer (CR) or pooled maternal colostrum (MC) on preweaning morbidity, growth and mortality in Holstein heifer calves. A total of 568 calves were randomly assigned to be fed either 3.8 L of pooled MC or two doses (200 g IgG) of a CR. Calves were monitored daily for preweaning morbidity until weaning at 60 d old. Birth and weaning weights were measured to estimate growth rates. Results Calves fed CR were significantly less likely to be affected with a diarrhea event (OR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.88; P value = 0.011) and had a higher rate of daily weight gain (0.051 kg/day; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.08; P value &lt;0.001) compared to calves fed pooled MC. Use of lacteal-derived colostrum replacer was not significantly associated with respiratory disease (OR = 1.01; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.51; P value = 0.974 ), omphalitis (OR = 0.93; 95% CI 0.06 to 14.86; P value = 0.956), or mortality (HR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.27 to 1.92; P value = 0.505) in the study calves. Conclusions The lacteal-derived CR fed at the study dose was a viable colostrum alternative in the event of poor quality pooled MC for the prevention of preweaning diarrhea and resulted in higher growth rates in comparison to calves fed pooled MC in the study herd