In utero infection of cattle with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis: A critical review and meta-analysis

Association betweenMycobacterium AviumSubsp.ParatuberculosisInfection among Offspring and their Dams in Nondomestic Ruminant Species Housed in a Zoo

“…20 Births at the ZSSD most often occur in large field exhibits of several acres (as opposed to small pens); the environments are relatively clean, and fecal matter is usually removed on a daily basis. Transmission in utero or through Map directly shed in milk or colostrum 20,26 remain intriguing alternative hypotheses for infection maintenance in the ZSSD population.…”

“…20 In utero transmission can also occur. 26 For these reasons, Johne's disease control policies for infected herds recommend that offspring be promptly removed from their dams and bottle-fed milk replacer, pasteurized milk, or milk from test-negative animals after birth. 6 Many of the methods used for domestic livestock, such as culling and herd depopulation, may not be appropriate for exotic hoofstock, particularly endangered species, because they adversely affect population sustainability and breeding efforts.…”

Distribution of Mycobacterium avium subsp.paratuberculosis in tissues of naturally infected cattle as affected by age

“…Lambeth et al (2004) showed MAP in most sheep foetuses obtained from clinically infected sheep, but only one positive foetus (among 54) originated from a sheep with a subclinical disease. The assumed probability of MAP infection in foetuses from clinically ill cows is about three times higher when compared to subclinically infected mothers (Seitz et al, 1989;Whittington and Windsor, 2009). It follows that the probability of foetal infection grows with increasing intensity of infection and onset of clinical symptoms in dams.…”

“…It is possible that the number of infected foetuses could be underestimated because MAP has been mainly found in foetal kidneys (Sweeney et al, 1992b). Also, cultivation using solid media could decrease the real prevalence of foetal MAP infection according to Whittington and Windsor (2009). In any case, as the faecal-oral route is believed to be one of the principal pathways of MAP transmission, in utero transmission represents another important possibility and should be considered in the control of the disease (Buergelt et al, 2006).…”

“…As MAP has been isolated from the uterus and amniotic fluid of red deer (Kopecna et al, 2008), and from the foetuses of infected cows (Seitz et al, 1989;Sweeney, et al, 1992b, vertical transmission in utero is a known fact (Buergelt et al, 2006;Whittington and Windsor, 2009). Clinical cases of paratuberculosis (PTB) are mostly connected with dissemination of MAP.…”