A 60-day probiotic protocol with Dietzia subsp. C79793-74 prevents development of Johne's disease parameters after in utero and/or neonatal MAP infection

Abstract

The research reported herein was designed to assess whether the bacterium, Dietzia subspecies C79793-74, used as a probiotic, could prevent development of parameters indicative of bovine paratuberculosis after potential in utero, birthing and neonatal (colostrum) exposure to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Such exposure avenues are especially relevant for dairy farms practicing good management procedures since calves on these farms could be infected via dams that have yet to be identified as MAP-positive. Indeed, of 18 calves in the present study that became paratuberculosis parameter-positive, five had dams that were negative for all parameters pre-calving. Parameters used herein to define paratuberculosis status were serum ELISA, serum agar gel immunodiffusion, cultureable fecal MAP, histopathology at necropsy and clinical disease. Thirty-four newborn calves, whose dams were paratuberculosis-positive, were assigned to four different treatment groups. Ten were treated daily for 60 days with viable Dietzia added to their antibiotic-free milk feedings; none became positive for any parameter with age. In contrast, seven of eight calves that were not treated became positive for one or more paratuberculosis-associated parameter. Sixteen calves were treated with viable Dietzia for the first two days of life; eight were then not treated further, whereas the other eight were treated an additional 58 days with Dietzia added to tetracycline-fortified milk (Dietzia is sensitive to tetracycline). In these two groups, positivity developed in five of eight and six of eight, respectively. These results indicated that (a) a daily, 60-day treatment with viable Dietzia effectively prevented development of parameters indicative of paratuberculosis and (b) this treatment, in combination with good management practices, has the potential to eradicate MAP from animals/herds, which should curtail the spread of MAP. Such results should significantly reduce human exposure to MAP, which in turn, could have relevance for the controversial role of MAP in Crohn's disease, type-1 diabetes mellitus, sarcoidosis, Blau syndrome, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and multiple sclerosis.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded, in part, by NIH Grant R01AI027331 (prior to retirement from Univ. WI-RF) and by Altick Associates, River Falls, WI. I wish to thank William D. Richards for the initial ICON 6 isolate (Dietzia) and Dr. Craig Van Kampen for statistical analysis and editorial assistance.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1 Kaplan-Meier plot of paratuberculosis parameters of calves undergoing different treatments. (A) Calves (Group 1) were not treated (n = 8). (B) Calves (Group 2) were treated with viable Dietzia for only the 1^st 2 days of life (n = 8). (C) Calves (Group 4) were treated with viable Dietzia for the 1^st 2 days of life, followed by 58 days of Dietzia in the presence of antibiotics (n = 8). (D) Calves (Group 3, n = 10) were treated with viable Dietzia for 60 days

. Also shown is a compilation of the data for Groups 1, 2 and 4 (----) shown in (A–C) (n = 18). (+) represent the age at which each calf first tested sero- and/or fecal-paratuberculosis-positive and (Δ) the age at which an animal left the herd testing negative.

Table 1 Summary of MAP parameters for paratuberculosis dams of calves in treatment Groups 1–4

Table 2 Parameters for calves not fed Dietzia and for their paratuberculosis dams

Table 3 Parameters for calves fed Dietzia for first two days of life and for their paratuberculosis dams

Table 4 Parameters for calves fed Dietzia for 60 days and for their paratuberculosis dams

Table 5 Parameters for calves fed viable Dietzia for first two days of life followed by Dietzia (non-viable) in antibiotic-fortified milk replacer for 58 days and for their paratuberculosis dams

Table 6 Summary of data for calves of paratuberculosis dams in treatment groups 1–4