Faecal culture examination using the method 0.75% HPC paratuberculosis was controlled in 60 herds during 10 years (53 cattle herd, 1 sheep flock, 1 herd of Capricorn, 1 herd of antelope, 1 herd of moufflon, 1 herd of fallow deer and 2 herds of deer) comprising 9810 animals (9 140 heads of cattle, 670 other ruminants). Successful control was adopted in 8 (13.3 %) herds (7 herds of cattle and 1 herd of Capricorn). The main reason for the achievement of the successful outcome was repeated faecal culturing, removal of positive animals form the herd including their progenies, separate rearing of calves from old animals and stringent hygienic management. However, the control programme is not yet completed in 21 (35.0 %) herds (20 herds of cattle and 1 herd of deer). The cause of prolonged and unsuccessful control programme was failure to remove all progenies of infected animals and feeding of calves with mixed colostrum or unpasteurised milk. Introduction of infected animals form other farms was the main reason to fail in controlling the disease in one farm. A radical control programme was applied in 23 herds (18 cattle herd, 1 deer herd, 1 flock of goat, 1 herd of antelope, 1 fallow deer and 1 herd of moufflon). High prevalence of infection (with clinical cases in time of first diagnosis), rearing of calves with their mothers during the first 3 months, co-pasturing of young animals to the age of 18 months with adult animals were other factors contributed the failure of the control programme. For financial limitations the control programme was suspended in 8 (13.3 %) cattle herds. Economic losses were analysed in one cattle herd with 350 Holstein cows.
Supported by the grants No. QLRT-2000-00879 (Brussels, EC) and QD1191 (MAgr., Czech Republic).