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Minimize Risk...Reduce Impact...Eliminate Johne's
- 2008 Johne's Workshop Proceedings
- 2008 Strategic Plan
- Approved Labs
- Case Studies
- Handbook for Vets & Beef Producers
- Handbook for Vets & Dairy Producers
- Johne's Approaches That Work
- Johne's Disease Integrated Program News
- Johne's Disease Newsletters
- Johne's in the News
- NAHMS Study
- Nat'l Johne's Working Group
- Online Johne's Disease Veterinary Certificate Program
- Online Producer Education Course
- Risk Assessment & Management Plans for Johne's
- Uniform Program Standards for the Voluntary Johne's Disease Program
- USAHA Johne's Committee Report
- Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program
- Other Johne's Websites
Preventing, Controlling Johne’s disease
Johne’s is a slow, progressive, contagious and untreatable bacterial disease that ordinarily infects calves but does not show clinical signs until animals are three or more years of age. Infected animals maintain a normal temperature but exhibit weight loss and diarrhea. In the later stages of the infection, animals can become weak.
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The most common method of infection is theingestion of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis bacteria via manure-contaminated udders, milk, water or feed. Infected animals shed large numbers of bacteria in their feces, leading to contamination of feed and water sources. Infected animals can also shed the bacteria in their colostrum and milk, and infected dams can also pass the disease on to their offspring.
M. paratuberculosis is an extremely hardy bacterium. Research shows that, while the bacterium cannot multiply outside the animal in nature, it can survive in contaminated soil or water for more than a year because of its resistance to heat, cold and drying.
Johne's disease must be managed as a herd problem and not treated as an individual cow disease. Research shows that diagnosis of one clinically-infected animal in a herd of 100 lactating cows implies that at least 25 other animals are infected and less than eight of those can be detected by the tests currently available.
The best way to avoid this chronic infectious disease is to be as certain as possible that animals brought into the herd are not infected with M. paratuberculosis. This is not always easy.
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Basic prevention strategies include:
- Reduce newborns’ exposure to manure from adult animals by cleaning individual calving stalls between each calving and not allowing manure to build in any calving are.
- Avoid manure contamination of feed by using feed bunks and not using the same equipment to handle feed and move manure.
- Avoid manure contamination of water sources where animals drink.
- For natural colostrum needs of newborn animals, use colostrum from Johne’s-negative animals.
- Do not pool colostrum.
- Avoid natural nursing and milk feeding whenever possible. Feed an artificial milk replacer or pasteurized milk instead of raw milk to supply the needs of newborns. Never feed pooled milk or waste milk.
- Thoroughly clean the udder and teats before collection of the colostrum to avoid manure contamination.
- Identify and remove all test-positive animals. At minimum, keep these individuals separate.
- Cull or separate the offspring of infected dams as soon as possible.
- When purchasing herd additions, buy from low-risk herds.
Your veterinarian can help you develop a strategic plan for Johne’s prevention and control for your farm.
Consult with your veterinarian about which Johne’s test is best for your situation and use a test-certified diagnostic laboratory..jpg)
Controlling Johne’s
Methods used to control Johne's disease depend on the type of animal and the patterns of husbandry.
In principle, two strategies must be employed simultaneously:
- Newborn animals must be protected from infection by being born and raised in a clean environment and fed milk free of M. paratuberculosis.
- Adult animals carrying the M. paratuberculosis infection must be identified by laboratory tests and removed from the herd, flock or enclosure.
