Prevalence and molecular insights of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Sudanese Cattle: implications for control and public health.

Abstract

Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a chronic intestinal disease affecting ruminants and somenon-ruminants, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). In the Sudan, published data on the incidence and prevalence of PTB are Limited. we detected MAP in human patients with gastrointestinal complaints highlights its zoonotic potential and raises public health concerns. This study aimed at assessing PTB prevalence in cattle and identifying risk factors for MAP infection as well as investigating the phylogeny of MAP circulating in the Sudan. Both serum and faecal samples were collected from the same individual animals of 810 cattle in 153 herds in five states spanning three regions (Southern, Northern, and Central) of the country. ELISA was used to detect MAP antibodies in sera, while faecal samples were tested for MAP DNA using a recombinase aided amplification (RAA) assay and cultured for MAP isolation followed by partial sequencing of MAP insertion sequence 1311 with subsequent phylogeny analysis. At the animal level, the apparent prevalence was 5.0% for ELISA and 4.2% for RAA, with true prevalence estimates of 8.5% and 4.8%, respectively. At the herd level, apparent prevalence was 28.2% for ELISA and 22.3% for RAA, while true prevalence reached 54.2% for ELISA and 24.9% for RAA. Significant (P < 0.05) risk factors for MAP infection included exposure to wild animals and high rainfall. Phylogenetic analysis of the Sudanese MAP isolates revealed close relatedness to type S (I/III) strains worldwide suggesting a shared evolutionary origin. The present study provides baseline data on PTB prevalence and risk factors in Sudanese cattle, emphasising the role of environmental and management factors in disease dynamics. These findings highlight the necessity of adopting targeted control strategies to reduce MAP impact on cattle and other animals as well as to prevent its potential public health hazard.