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Review
. 2019 Jun 13;15(1):198.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-1943-4.

Control of paratuberculosis: who, why and how. A review of 48 countries

Richard Whittington  1 Karsten Donat  2   3 Maarten F Weber  4 David Kelton  5 Søren Saxmose Nielsen  6 Suzanne Eisenberg  7 Norma Arrigoni  8 Ramon Juste  9 Jose Luis Sáez  10 Navneet Dhand  11 Annalisa Santi  8 Anita Michel  12 Herman Barkema  13 Petr Kralik  14 Polychronis Kostoulas  15 Lorna Citer  16 Frank Griffin  17 Rob Barwell  18 Maria Aparecida Scatamburlo Moreira  19 Iva Slana  14 Heike Koehler  20 Shoor Vir Singh  21 Han Sang Yoo  22 Gilberto Chávez-Gris  23 Amador Goodridge  24 Matjaz Ocepek  25 Joseba Garrido  26 Karen Stevenson  27 Mike Collins  28 Bernardo Alonso  29 Karina Cirone  30 Fernando Paolicchi  30 Lawrence Gavey  31 Md Tanvir Rahman  32 Emmanuelle de Marchin  33 Willem Van Praet  34 Cathy Bauman  5 Gilles Fecteau  35 Shawn McKenna  36 Miguel Salgado  37 Jorge Fernández-Silva  38 Radka Dziedzinska  14 Gustavo Echeverría  39 Jaana Seppänen  40 Virginie Thibault  41 Vala Fridriksdottir  42 Abdolah Derakhshandeh  43 Masoud Haghkhah  43 Luigi Ruocco  44 Satoko Kawaji  45 Eiichi Momotani  46 Cord Heuer  47 Solis Norton  48 Simeon Cadmus  49 Angelika Agdestein  50 Annette Kampen  50 Joanna Szteyn  51 Jenny Frössling  52 Ebba Schwan  53 George Caldow  54 Sam Strain  55 Mike Carter  56 Scott Wells  57 Musso Munyeme  58 Robert Wolf  59 Ratna Gurung  60 Cristobal Verdugo  37 Christine Fourichon  61 Takehisa Yamamoto  45 Sharada Thapaliya  62 Elena Di Labio  63 Monaya Ekgatat  64 Andres Gil  65 Alvaro Nuñez Alesandre  66 José Piaggio  65 Alejandra Suanes  67 Jacobus H de Waard  68
Affiliations
Review

Control of paratuberculosis: who, why and how. A review of 48 countries

Richard Whittington et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease affecting ruminant livestock, is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). It has direct and indirect economic costs, impacts animal welfare and arouses public health concerns. In a survey of 48 countries we found paratuberculosis to be very common in livestock. In about half the countries more than 20% of herds and flocks were infected with MAP. Most countries had large ruminant populations (millions), several types of farmed ruminants, multiple husbandry systems and tens of thousands of individual farms, creating challenges for disease control. In addition, numerous species of free-living wildlife were infected. Paratuberculosis was notifiable in most countries, but formal control programs were present in only 22 countries. Generally, these were the more highly developed countries with advanced veterinary services. Of the countries without a formal control program for paratuberculosis, 76% were in South and Central America, Asia and Africa while 20% were in Europe. Control programs were justified most commonly on animal health grounds, but protecting market access and public health were other factors. Prevalence reduction was the major objective in most countries, but Norway and Sweden aimed to eradicate the disease, so surveillance and response were their major objectives. Government funding was involved in about two thirds of countries, but operations tended to be funded by farmers and their organizations and not by government alone. The majority of countries (60%) had voluntary control programs. Generally, programs were supported by incentives for joining, financial compensation and/or penalties for non-participation. Performance indicators, structure, leadership, practices and tools used in control programs are also presented. Securing funding for long-term control activities was a widespread problem. Control programs were reported to be successful in 16 (73%) of the 22 countries. Recommendations are made for future control programs, including a primary goal of establishing an international code for paratuberculosis, leading to universal acknowledgment of the principles and methods of control in relation to endemic and transboundary disease. An holistic approach across all ruminant livestock industries and long-term commitment is required for control of paratuberculosis.

Keywords: Camelid; Cattle; Control; Deer; Goat; Paratuberculosis; Prevalence; Review; Sheep; Wildlife.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Countries represented in this study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Countries represented in this study that had a control program for paratuberculosis between 2012 and 2018
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Inclusion of advice on paratuberculosis in herd health programs, and availability of veterinary advice for individual animals in countries with and without a control program for paratuberculosis

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