SEROPREVALENCE AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM SUBSPECIES PARATUBERCULOSIS IN FARMED GOATS IN CENTRAL-SOUTHERN TAIWAN

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) are Gram positive, aerobic, acid-fast, catalase positive bacteria. The Johne’s disease, caused by MAP, is a wasting disease found in all ruminants including cattle, sheep, goats, deer, camelids and wildlife ruminants. MAP has attracted hygienic attention due to the link between Crohn’s disease (CD) in humans and MAP presence in the gut of patients. The aims of this study are to investigate and monitor the serological prevalence and molecular identification rate of MAP in caprine feces and verify the MAP-negative goat farms in central-southern Taiwan. A total of 8486 blood samples were randomly collected between the years 2011 and 2015 from 321 caprine farms. The serum samples were assessed by commercial ELISA while 3015 fecal samples from 201 anti-MAP antibodies (MAP-Ab) negative herds were further molecularly examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from year 2014 to 2015. The individual seroprevalence rate of caprine MAP in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 was 0% (0/1032), 0% (0/429), 0% (0/1402), 0.14% (4/2917) and 0.07% (2/2706), respectively. Molecular identification rate of MAP in caprine fecal samples at MAP-Ab negative farms accounted for 0.92% (14/1515) and 0.93 (14/1500), respectively, in the years 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile, there was no association between the MAP seroprevalence and the sampling regions or years at farm or individual level. The seroprevalence data revealed in this study highlighted the rising prevalence of caprine MAP and the link of MAP to farmed ruminant species and its possible implications in hygienic aspects.