Abstract
Objective—To determine whether cattle testing positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosisas determined by microbial culture of feces or antibody ELISA were more likely to have false-positive responses on the caudal fold tuberculin (CFT) test or interferon-γ (IFN-γ) assay for Mycobacterium bovis than cattle testing negative for M paratuberculosis.
Animals—1,043 cattle from 10 herds in Michigan.
Procedure—Feces and blood samples for plasma were collected from cattle ≥ 24 months old on the day the CFT test was read. Fecal samples were submitted for microbial culture for M paratuberculosis. Plasma samples were tested for antibody against M paratuberculosis, and IFN-γ after stimulation with purified protein derivative tuberculin from M bovis or M avium.
Results—Of 1,043 cattle, 180 (17.3%) had positive CFT test results (suspects) and 8 (0.8%) had positive IFN-γ assay results after stimulation with purified protein derivative tuberculin from M bovis. Forty-five (4.3%) and 115 (11.0%) cattle tested positive for M paratuberculosis as determined by microbial culture of feces and antibody ELISA, respectively. Cattle with positive responses for M paratuberculosis appeared to have an increased likelihood of false-positive results on the CFT test, although this association was not significant.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—No significant association was detected among cattle testing positive for M paratuberculosis as determined by microbial culture of feces and antibody ELISA and positive CFT test and IFN-γ assay results for M bovis. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005;226:429–435)
