ABSTRACT
Paratuberculosis (PTB) or Johne’s disease is a common ruminant infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). In this study, two MAP antigens were compared for their diagnostic utility to detect subclinical PTB in a sheep flock in Mexicali, Mexico. Sheep (n = 31) without clinical signs but positive on a direct fecal-polymerase chain reaction were tested with two preabsorbed in-house enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) using: (1) an ethanol-extracted surface lipid antigen (EVELISA) and (2) a protoplasmic antigen (ELISA-PPA). Sensitivities of the EVELISA and ELISA-PPA were 84% (95% CI; 66–95%) and 29% (95% CI; 14–48%), respectively. The EVELISA test could be a fast and effective way to identify subclinical ovine PTB for severely affected flocks.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the Mexican Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) for Graduate Student Fellowship to EPB and TCR.
Funding
This study was partially supported by a research grant from Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC, CA201/5/C/20/14, 201/5/C/3/18), and by Fundación Produce Baja California, A.C.