Serological survey of Map infection in goats in the Northeast of Portugal

The aim of this work was to study the seroprevalence of paratuberculosis in the Northeast of Portugal in order to discern its economic impact, and to prioritize the allocation of disease control resources. The goat flocks studied were located in the region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Northeast of Portugal and included 3 counties (Macedo de Cavaleiros, Mirandela and Alfandega da Fé). In each flock, veterinary practitioners collected blood samples from at least 2 years old goats between May and July 2011. A goat flock was defined to be paratuberculosis seropositive if at least one seropositive adult goat was present. Blood (10 ml) was collected in the jugular vein and serum was separated after clotting by centrifugation at 200 g for 10 min and frozen at−20 ºC until use. All samples were subjected to a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In total, 628 samples of goats older than 2 years belonging to 39 goat flocks from 3 counties were investigated for the presence of antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. About 66.7% (26/39) flocks had one or more serologically positive animals. The individual paratuberculosis prevalence was 15.5% (97/628).

Serological survey of Map infection in goats in the Northeast of Portugal Artigo de Conferência