Paratuberculosis or
Johne's disease caused by Mycobacterium avium
subspecies paratuberculosis is an infectious disease of
ruminants, responsible for huge economic losses in animal
production systems and has potential to affect international trade
(OIE, 2004). In terms of various production losses (livestock
traits) affected by the Johne's disease (JD) include; milk
production, body condition, body weights, reproductive efficiency
and culling rate of goats. Disease is endemic in goats in the
northern region of India. At present country lacks control measures
(vaccine) against JD. Endemicity of the MAP infection in Jamunapari
farm has resulted in heavy losses due to morbidity, mortality and
untimely culling of animals on the basis of Johne's disease
and other health problems. So far the efforts to control disease in
this farm of high milk yielding goats of Jamunapari breed, on the
basis of screening of animals (general herds or suspected goats) by
fecal examination / fecal culture and culling has not been
successful, instead prevalence of disease continued to increase.
Goats were under same system of management since last 5-8 years.
Indigenous inactivated vaccine developed using native strain of
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP)
'Bison type' has been used to control disease in the
breeding farm of Jamunapari goats (endemic for Johne's
disease). Herd-level assessment was performed to check the efficacy
of indigenous vaccine containing highly pathogenic field strain of
MAP 'Bison type'. In Jammunapari herd 526 goats with
high prevalence of JD (significantly high annual morbidity,
mortality and culling) were vaccinated with 1 ml of indigenous
vaccine subcutaneously, in the 3rd week of September,
2006 and were monitored for different physical traits (morbidity,
mortality, body weight, milk yield, kidding rate, birth weight of
born kids) and humoral response. PER and post-vaccination data for
same period and season was compared. First visible and significant
response was in coat colour, texture, skin luster and regeneration
of hair, within one month of vaccination. There was significant
improvement in body weights gained in feedlot experiments and
general herds, age at first kidding, milk yield at 90 days
interval, ready to culled and stunted kids, morbidity, mortality
and humoral immune response. There was improvement in birth
weights, body weights gained at 3 months, kidding percent and
litter size. Indigenous vaccine showed overall improvement in all
the production scores and traits and immune response in the
goatherd of Jamunapari breed, after vaccination.