U of MN researchers develop tests for devastating cattle disease
More rapid and accurate test results may translate to better quality products
Researchers at the University of Minnesota, working in collaboration with scientists at the USDA, have used genomic information to develop tests that can rapidly detect and differentiate the bacteria that causes Johnes disease, a chronic wasting disease found in cattle and other ruminant animals such as sheep, goats and deer. This research, scheduled to be published in the Aug. 30 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also provides the foundation for a better understanding of the Johnes disease process and the design of vaccines to prevent infection.
Johnes disease is devastating to the United States dairy industry, costing about $200 million per year due to reduced milk production. Estimates indicate that the disease is present in approximately 25 percent of Minnesotas dairy herds. Because the bacterium that causes Johnes disease, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, is slow growing in the laboratory, previous tests often took between 6 and 18 weeks to process. The current study shows how genomic information may be used to develop highly specific, sensitive, and rapid tests for the detection of infected animals.
These new tests, which enable detection of the bacterium in fecal matter or milk, can be completed in 72 hours or less with an accuracy that was not possible without knowledge of the complete genome of the bacterium. Since animals shed the bacteria in their milk, faster diagnosis will likely help monitor and improve the quality of dairy foods.
“Since the results of this new test are available much sooner, infected animals can be identified and isolated more quickly, thereby providing an opportunity to minimize economic losses to the herd, and breaking the chain of transmission from animal to animal,” said Vivek Kapur, BVSc., Ph.D., principal investigator, faculty member of the Universitys Medical School and College of Veterinary Medicine, and director of the Biomedical Genomics Center. In 2003, Kapur and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota were also awarded one of the largest research grants by the USDA to form a national consortium to study Johnes disease in cattle.
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is also implicated as a factor in Crohns disease, an inflammatory bowel disease in humans. Infection with this bacterium in humans and all animals is generally believed to occur at an early age, with clinical manifestations of the disease only showing up after several years. In the future, researchers are likely to be able to use this information to work on a test to detect these bacteria in blood or tissue of patients with Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis.
“This research both advances knowledge of the basic science issues surrounding the disease as well as applies that knowledge for immediate benefits to animal and potentially human, health,” said Sagarika Kanjilal, associate professor of medicine, and a co-author of the paper.
Media Contact
More Information:
http://www.umn.eduAll latest news from the category: Agricultural and Forestry Science
Newest articles
Superradiant atoms could push the boundaries of how precisely time can be measured
Superradiant atoms can help us measure time more precisely than ever. In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen present a new method for measuring the time interval,…
Ion thermoelectric conversion devices for near room temperature
The electrode sheet of the thermoelectric device consists of ionic hydrogel, which is sandwiched between the electrodes to form, and the Prussian blue on the electrode undergoes a redox reaction…
Zap Energy achieves 37-million-degree temperatures in a compact device
New publication reports record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device. In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only a few fusion technologies have demonstrated…