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Risk factors associated with Johne's disease in this study confirmed those management practices generally recommended for disease control. An educational problem, however, is the finding that herd managers familiar with Johne's disease generally use management practices similar to those used by managers unfamiliar with the disease.

Without management changes designed to reduce the farm-level prevalence of MAP infection, paratuberculosis will continue to reduce farm income by decreasing milk production and potentially increasing premature removal from the herd.

Enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC) and columnaris are the most economically important bacterial diseases affecting the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus industry in the United States. Although these two diseases have been extensively researched, little is known about their prevalence and epidemiology in production systems. In 1997, a two-part survey of catfish producers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi was conducted to estimate the proportion of ponds and catfish operations that have these diseases and to develop information on the risk factors associated with reporting an occurrence. The response rates to the two phases of the survey were 65.6% and 75.3%, respectively. Overall, 78.1% of all operations and 42.1% of all ponds experienced problems with ESC/columnaris. Higher percentages of large operations and ponds on large operations experienced these problems. The most frequently reported average loss per outbreak of the two diseases was 200-2,000 lb (1 lb = 0.454 kg) per outbreak. Univariate analysis and multivariable regression modeling of the survey data identified three possible risk factors associated with ESC/columnaris, namely, operation size, stocking density, and feeding rate. Conversely, operations that produced their own fingerlings and those that drained ponds at intervals of 3 years or less were less likely to report losses. The associations identified in this study do not establish firm causal relationships, but they do generate hypotheses about managerial and environmental interactions that represent substantial risks to production.

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The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in the environment and assess the relationship between the culture status of MAP in the farm environment and herd infection status. The National Animal Health Monitoring System's Dairy 2002 study surveyed dairy operations in 21 states. One component of the study involved collection and culturing of environmental samples for MAP from areas on farms where manure accumulated from a majority of a herd's cows. Operations were selected for inclusion based on perceived risk factors for MAP infection identified in a previously administered questionnaire. Individual animal and environmental samples were collected and used to determine the efficiency of environmental sampling for determination of herd infection status. Individual animal fecal, serum, and milk samples were used to classify herds as infected or not infected based on the presence of at least one test-positive animal in the herd. A total of 483 environmental samples (approximately 5 per farm) were collected, and 218 (45.1%) were culture-positive for MAP. A similar percentage of environmental cultures collected from all designated areas were positive [parlor exits (52.3%), floors of holding pens (49.1%), common alleyways (48.8%), lagoons (47.4%), manure spreaders (42.3%), and manure pits (41.5%)]. Of the 98 operations tested with the environmental sample culture, 97 had individual serum ELISA results, 60 had individual fecal culture results, and 34 had individual milk ELISA results. Sixty-nine of the 98 operations (70.4%) had at least one environmental sample that was culture-positive. Of the 50 herds classified as infected by fecal culture, 38 (76.0%) were identified by environmental culture. Two of the 10 operations classified as not infected based on individual animal fecal culture were environmental culture-positive. Of the 80 operations classified as infected based on serum ELISA-positive results, 61 (76.3%) were identified as environmental-positive, whereas 20 of the 28 (71.4%) operations identified as infected based on milk ELISA were detected by environmental sampling. Environmental sample culturing is less costly than individual animal sampling, does not require animal restraint, and identified more than 70% of infected operations. Environmental sampling is another diagnostic tool that veterinarians and dairy producers can use to determine herd infection status for MAP.

Dairy cow mortality is an increasingly severe problem for the US dairy industry. The objective of this study was to examine a variety of herd management practices and herd characteristics to identify factors associated with increased cow mortality in US dairy herds. The National Animal Health Monitoring System's Dairy 2002 study surveyed dairy operations in 21 major dairy states. The complete data set included results from 953 dairy farms with a minimum of 30 dairy cows per farm. Associations between dairy cow mortality and 119 a priori-selected management practices or characteristics of 953 operations were evaluated. Eighty of the 119 risk factors explored in a univariate analysis met initial inclusion criteria for further evaluation of association with dairy cow mortality. A multivariable analysis was conducted to explore more complex relationships. The final multivariable model included 7 representative variables: herd levels of respiratory disease, lameness, and antibiotic use for treating sick cows, the percentage of culled cows less than 50 d in milk, the average calving interval, the use of a total mixed ration, and the region of the country. Increased odds of a greater level of mortality on farms was associated with greater percentages of lameness, respiratory disease, and sick cows treated with antibiotics, demonstrating the influence of physical derangements and disease on dairy cow mortality. Increased odds of a greater level of mortality was also associated with feeding a total mixed ration, culling fewer cows in early lactation, and herds located in western, midwestern, and southeastern regions relative to the northeastern United States, pointing to the importance of management decisions and operation characteristics on mortality outcomes. Further, an important interplay between facets of health and management on dairy cow mortality was suggested through the inclusion of the calving interval, with a longer calving interval leading to increased odds of a greater level of mortality on farms. Analysis of a variety of herd characteristics and practices with nationally representative data suggests that several health problems in tandem with aspects of operational construct and management are associated with increasing mortality.