Recently published data show that more than one third of UK dairy cattle herds are infected with Paratuberculosis. The presence of the disease can have a serious economic impact on farming operations. With the automatable PARACHEK^® 2, Prionics offers just the right product for effective detection, control and management of Paratuberculosis in cattle herds.

In October, 2006, a study by the UK government body, Defra, was initiated to monitor the prevalence of Paratuberculosis (ParaTB or Johne’s Disease) in UK dairy herds. In the study, 136 representative herds were examined for the presence of infections with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), the causative agent of ParaTB. Samples were taken from the animals as well as from their environment. The farmers who participated in the study were asked also to fill out a questionnaire. The results from this study was published in November 2009: “An Integrated Strategy to Determine the Herd Level Prevalence of Johne’s Disease in the UK Dairy Herd”. The data estimated the prevalence of ParaTB at the herd level at over 34.7% of UK dairy herds were infected with Map. This result now provides a baseline against which the effectivenes of future preventive measures can be monitored. Details of the study were presented recently at the Dairy UK conference on December 3, 2009, which has resulted in the UK dairy industry taking first steps towards a national program to control the spread of the disease.

PARACHEK^® 2 – An ideal tool for herd screening
Prior and during the onset of clinical disease, animals generally develop antibodies to M. paratuberculosis antigens. These antibodies are detected with PARACHEK^® 2, a solid phase, indirect enzyme immuno-assay (EIA). PARACHEK^® 2 provides a valuable tool in the diagnosis of infected animals at a preclinical stage and is designed to handle a large number of samples in an easy and reliable way. It offers the ability to detect high shedders, reducing the infection hazard to healthy animals. The new PARACHEK^® 2 enables an automated use and an easier handling, without any loss in specificity or sensitivity. PARACHEK^® 2 can be used both for serum and milk in cattle. In the 2009 Paratuberculosis Ringtrial conducted by the GD in the Netherlands, as well evaluations perfomed in Spain, has shown PARACHEK^® 2 to be superior in performance compared to other existing tests.