Johne's disease is caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies  paratuberculosis, otherwise known as MAP.  Unfortunately there are no effective cures and vaccines have been proven to be only marginally effective, making these bacteria difficult to treat.

Since this disease is impossible to treat, controlling the spread of Johne's is a critical management practice for all dairy producers to protect the future of the herd.  In addition, Johne's significantly impacts the economic performance of infected animals. 

Diagnosing animals infected with Johne's disease is important to controlling the spread.  The Milk ELISA Test detects a cow's antibody response to M. paratuberculosis.  Results are available in three to five days allowing you to make timely management decisions.  In addition, this test is economical making it an effective herd screening tool. 

The Milk ELISA test can be performed on frozen or preserved DHI milk samples.  Duplicate samples are not required as the Milk ELISA can be performed on the test day milk samples after component analysis is completed. 

The Milk ELISA test has a sensitivity of 51 percent, which means it correctly identifies infected animals as a positive test 51 percent of the time.  In addition, the specificity of the test is 99 percent.  This means it correctly classifies non-diseases animals as a negative test resulting in very few false positive test results.  This is comparable to the accuracy of the blood ELISA test for Johne's detection.

This test is USDA certified, and beginning in 2008, the Milk ELISA test for Johne's disease would qualify for DATCP reimbursement, providing funds are available.  If you are interested in more information or would like to begin testing today, contact your AgSource representative.