Serologic Survey for Antibodies Against Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis in Free-Ranging Cervids From Norway

Abstract

Affinity between protein-G and immunoglobulins from red deer (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) was tested in a competition binding assay. Sera from red deer, reindeer, and moose inhibited the assay less than sera from cattle (less affinity), whereas sera from roe deer showed a slightly higher affinity to protein-G than did sera from cattle. The conclusion was made that protein-G could be used instead of anti-species antibodies for these cervid species, where the aim of the screening was to look for exposure or lack of exposure to mycobacteria in the tested populations. Serologic screening of 1,373 free-ranging cervids for antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis was conducted. All sera were tested by a protein-G-based antigen-absorbed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seropositive moose (10/537; 1.9%), red deer (14/371; 3.8%), roe deer (6/49; 12.2%), and semidomesticated reindeer (11/325; 3.4%) were found, whereas wild reindeer (n = 91) were seronegative. In addition, the red deer sera were tested with a commercial ELISA, by which two animals tested positive and nine were suspicious of having M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antibodies. Tissue samples and feces from 10 moose originating from a population with a clustering of seropositive animals were investigated by histology and bacteriology with negative results. Paratuberculosis has never been diagnosed in free-ranging or farmed cervid species in Norway. Thus, further studies are indicated to prove that the present findings reflect an infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

Paratuberculosis in Camel (Camelus dromedarius): The Diagnostic Efficiency of ELISA and PCR

“…The application of bovine ELISA for detecting anti-MAP in other species like deer was documented [17,18]. Similar to our findings, Woodbury et al (2008) [18] experienced low ELISA sensitivity in detecting of anti-MAP antibodies in the early stage of infection.…”

Sensitive and Specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detecting Serum Antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Fallow Deer

“…The diagnostic sensitivity (72%) and diagnostic value (0.8600) of ELISAs A and C, both which used the anti-fallow deer IgG antibody as a conjugate, were much greater than those of ELISAs B and D, which used protein G. These findings agree with those reported by Pruvot et al (18), who found that the protein G affinity for elk and caribou IgGs was lower than it was for cattle. The same trend was previously shown for red deer and reindeer in comparison to cattle (28). In our study, the ELISA-A sensitivity for fallow deer with naturally acquired M. avium subsp.…”

No evidence that wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Iberian Peninsula are a reservoir of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection

“…Antibodies to paratuberculosis protoplasmatic antigen (PPA)-3 were found in only 4% of Norwegian red deer (Tryland et al, 2004), in contrast to the serological evidence of widespread exposure to MAP or cross-reacting mycobacteria in Spain (30%) (ReyesGarcia et al, 2008). In southern Spain, MAP was detected in red deer by PCR (Reyes-Garcia et al, 2008), although infection was not confirmed by culture (Álvarez et al, 2005).…”