Veterinarska stanica, Vol. 56 No. 5, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.46419/vs.56.5.6
Seroprevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Infections in Small Ruminants in Europe – A Systematic Review
Hélder Quintas
orcid.org/0000-0002-6934-1669
; Mountain Research Center (CIMO), Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB), Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
*
Júlio Benavides
; Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, CSIC-University of Leon, Grulleros, 24346 León, Spain
João Jacob-Ferreira
orcid.org/0000-0002-6683-4820
; CIMO, IPB, Campus de Santa Apolónia, Bragança, 5300-253, Portugal
Paulo Afonso
orcid.org/0000-0001-6390-0194
; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trásos- Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; and CIMO, IPB, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Ana Cláudia Coelho
; Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences (ECAV), CECAV, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Paratuberculosis, also known as Johne’s disease, is a granulomatous enteritis in both domestic and wild ruminants caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Understanding the prevalence of this disease in small ruminants is essential for disease control and prevention strategies. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases to identify all articles reporting Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) seroprevalence in sheep and goats in Europe, published from January 2006 to December 2023. The initial search for existing publications reporting systematic reviews and primary studies was carried out by searching the available databases. For the final selection of studies, an initial screen for basic eligibility and a detailed appraisal of quality were performed. After the study selection, the relevant data was extracted. The detailed appraisal generated 21 publications that reported 55 studies, 22 (40.0%) from sheep (12 at the animal-level and 10 at the flock-level) and 28 (50.9%) from goats (17 at the animal-level and 11
at the flock-level), and 5 (9.1%) from mixed small ruminant species at the animal level. In total, 34 (61.8%) were animal-level studies and 21 (38.2%) were flock-level studies. Population and inclusion criteria were highly variable among studies. Sample sizes ranged from 291 to 15,585 animals. Most studies reported testing adult animals (over 24 months of age). Commercial ELISA kits were used in most studies. The highest prevalence was obtained in sheep (100%) in Türkiye, and the lowest was found also in sheep (0.7%) in Austria. Overall, the results suggest that MAP antibodies have been frequently detected among small ruminants in some countries and there is a need for standardisation of case definitions to improve the accuracy of prevalence estimates. Further research is needed to understand the risk factors associated with MAP infection in small ruminants and to develop effective control and prevention strategies.
Keywords
Europe; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis; systematic review; serology
Hrčak ID:
321724
URI
Publication date:
3.4.2025.
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