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Johne's Disease-Cervid Herd Certification
The following is a draft of a proposad Johne's Disease Cervid
Herd Certification Program. This is only a draft and would be a
voluntary program. The Elk Research Council is soliciting
comments from NAEBA members on this proposal. Please phone your
comments to any of these members: Steve Wolcott (970) 527-4586,
Glen Zebarth (320) 834-4064, or Dave Whittlesey (970) 879-3987.
Certification levels:
All owners of groups of animals meeting the definition of a
"herd" will receive a certification level as follows:
- Level 0 - has not entered the program
- Level 1 - has achieved one negative whole-herd test
- Level 2 - has achieved two consecutive negative
whole-herd tests
- Level 3 - has achieved three consecutive negative
whole-herd tests
Level 3 - Monitored herd. Perhaps the year they achieve level
3 could be part of the record so people could compare the length
of time maintaining the status. For example, in the year 2010,
one could compare a herd with level 3-1999, indicating monitored
status for 11 years, to a herd with level 3-2009, indicating
monitored status for 1 year.
Tests:
Antibody ELISA, alternating with fecal culture.
Frequency:
Whole-herd tests every 1-2 months (+ or - 2 months) until
level 3-monitored herd is reached. To keep the
"monitored" status, a subset of the herd (adult
females?) randomly selected should be tested annually.
Alternatively, a whole-herd test could be completed every other
year.
If herds are not tested within 14 months, they drop back to
level 0.
Animals to be tested - Species/age:
- All cervids on the premises older than 6 months
- All non-cervid hoofstock (cattle) older than 24 months
- Any hoofstock with clinical signs of Johne's Disease
- Any cervids older than 6 months and any other hoofstock
older than 24 months entering the herd
Collection of Samples:
All blood and fecal samples are to be collected by, or under
the supervision of, a licensed, accredited veterinarian.
Veterinary Certification:
The veterinarian performing or supervising the collection of
test samples is to certify that the samples collected were from
the animals identified on the test documents.
Owner Certification:
- At the initial test, that the herd has been in existence
for at least one year or was assembled only from johne's
Disease certified herds at Level 2 or higher.
- At each test date, all cervid species 6 months and older
and all other hoofstock 24 months and older were sampled
and included in the herd test.
- At each test date, disposition of the animals that have
left the herd since the prior test date.
- At each test date, list of the animals that have joined
the herd since the prior test date.
- Written statement that no animals in the herd have been
diagnosed with Johne's Disease or have exhibited clinical
signs of Johne's Disease unexplained by other causes.
Definitions:
- an infected animal an animal confirmed
to be infected via fecal culture and subsequent genetic
probe to confirm the identity of the isolate
- Johne's Disease an infectious disease of
hoofstock caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis
- fecal culture a method of bacteriologic
cultivation and isolation of paratuberculosis from fecal
samples collected from individual animals. Isolation of
M. paratuberculosis with this method is considered
confirmation of infection
- genetic probe confirmation of the
identity of organisms isolated from culture by
identifying a genetic element (IS900)
- ELISA a serum-based assay detecting an
antibody produced in response to M. paratuberculosis
infection proven to be effective in elk
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