Johne's Disease - What can you do?

Published on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 8:04am

Johne’s disease is an important animal health, and possible human health, issue for dairy producers across the country and around the world. It is not unique to the US, as it has been found in all parts of the world, but it is known to affect a large portion of the U.S. dairy cow population. 

 
Johne’s is found most frequently in dairy cattle, but it also impacts, and can be spread by, beef cattle, sheep and goats along with other domestic and wild ruminants.
 
Exact costs within a herd will vary and can be challenging to document due to the way the disease is expressed, but national studies have documented that it costs the dairy industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
 
The Voluntary Bovine Johne’s Disease Control Program (VBJDCP) has been in place in all states for several years. While some operational aspects of the program are currently being modified, the objective continues to be aiding producer efforts to control and work toward elimination of the disease. One valuable function of the program has been training and certifying producers relative to Johne’s disease and management practices. There are currently over 2,000 Johne’s certified veterinarians across the country who have had special training in the use of Johne’s Risk Assessments and development of herd management plans. Check with your vet to see if they are Johne’s certified.
 
The starting point at the farm for the program, and a good point to begin even if you don’t become a part of the “official program,” is a “Risk Assessment” (RA) of your operation that identifies areas or management practices that provide the greatest opportunity for introduction or spread of the disease. Areas evaluated include: calving area, pre-weaned heifer calves, post-weaned heifers, bred heifers, cows and additions to the herd. Practices felt to be important for MAP transmission are assessed in each of the six areas. Numeric score assigned to each practice, by a trained veterinarian, based on the perceived risk for that operation. The higher the score, the greater the anticipated risk. The RA is then used to develop a management plan to address areas of greatest risk.
 
Summary
 Johne’s is a challenging disease, but one producers need to be aware of and work to implement control measures for, so it is addressed at the farm level. It is important to address it at the farm for it can have a significant impact on the operation’s bottom line and by doing it there we also minimize any concerns beyond the farm gate. Tools currently available have been demonstrated to work, but improved diagnostics and management strategies will help us do an even better job in the future. Your veterinarian can help you stay current on information related to Johne’s. For additional information contact Dr. Ken Olson, JDIP Outreach Coordinator keolson@prodigy.net.

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