This research publication is noteworthy because of the paucity of reports on Johne’s disease in Egypt. It also is one of the few recent papers to report clinical hematology and chemistry studies in conjunction with diagnostics for Johne’s disease.
This study diagnosed Johne’s disease in dairy cattle by ELISA. 17 cows were ELISA-positive and had persistent diarrhea. 45 cows were ELISA-positive but clinically normal. 138 cows were ELISA-negative and clinically normal; 15 of these cows were used as controls. Clinical hematology and chemistry parameters were compared for these 3 groups of cattle. The study found significantly lower RBCs (red blood cell numbers), PCV (packed cell volume), total serum protein, serum globulin and serum glucose. No significant differences in oxidative stress markers were found for the 17 clinically affected cows.
Typical colonies of MAP (IS900 PCR-confirmed) were isolated from the fecal samples of clinically affected cows. Phylogenetic analysis of these isolates revealed high similarities with MAP strains from both India and Egypt. This study highlights that MAP infections affect dairy farms in Egypt.
This publication by Ahmed Abdelaal et al., appears in the Solvenian Veterinary Research Journal volume 56 (Suppl 22): 421–431, 2019. This is an Open Access journal. As their policy states: This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.