
Tag Archives Johne’s disease

Cheap steers bring more than bargained for
Veterinary Case Study: An effective biosecurity plan is essential to prevent infectious diseases from entering your herd
Jim visited the office one morning and asked if we could talk. He looked worried, a bit like a child that had gotten into the Halloween candy early. Two years ago, Jim had started team roping with a local club. Good crops and strong cattle prices allowed Jim to build his own small arena. His […] Read more

Johne’s disease — not gone but often forgotten
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Johne’s disease is sometimes compared to an iceberg — the visible cases are only a tiny fraction of the problem. The biggest part is hidden beneath the surface, particularly in the early stages of disease. In the silent stage, cattle that were infected as calves by a manure-contaminated udder, water or feed show no clinical […] Read more

New calculator to help analyze Johne’s testing options
The online tool provides producers with a range of possible management scenarios for their herds
With no treatment or vaccine available, the impact of Johne’s disease on beef herds can be a nightmare. “Johne’s disease is particularly challenging to manage because we have so few options,” says Dr. Cheryl Waldner, professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. To help beef producers make better management decisions about […] Read more

Developing a vaccine to combat Johne’s disease
Canadian researchers are trialling vaccine candidates, and plan to have results in the fall
Just as researchers around the world are racing to find a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, Canadian scientists have been diligently working to discover a vaccine that works on Johne’s disease in cattle. “We have successfully established and validated our research model using a commercial MAP vaccine currently licensed for use in Australia and Spain,” […] Read more

Narrowing in on Johne’s Disease
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Johne’s disease is caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, or MAP) that was discovered in 1895 by a heavily bearded, bespectacled bacteriologist from Dresden named Heinrich Albert Johne. When a cow develops persistent, watery, smelly hosepipe diarrhea, and progressively loses weight and body condition, even though her appetite is normal and she isn’t running […] Read more

Saskatchewan’s Johne’s Surveillance Program renewed
Animal Health: News Roundup from the October 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Saskatchewan’s Johne’s Disease Surveillance Program, administered by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), has been renewed for another five years with funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program. The Ministry of Agriculture developed the surveillance and control program for Saskatchewan cattle in the fall of 2013 but funding ran out under Growing Forward 2 […] Read more

Johne’s found in three per cent of cows in Sask. surveillance program
Health: News Roundup from the September 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Saskatchewan’s Johne’s Disease Surveillance Program has been very successful in that voluntary participation by cow-calf producers has increased every year to the point where there has been a waiting list the last two years. On the flip side, it has confirmed many participants’ fears of finding positive animals. From November 2013 to March 2017, there […] Read more

When Johne’s hits home
Dr. Meaghan Crawford’s empathy for the family that discovered Johne’s disease in their young beef herd was evident as she spoke about her involvement with the case during her time as a veterinary student at Calgary. A cow and two heifers showing severe weight loss and diarrhea were brought into the rural clinic where she […] Read more

VIDO-InterVac awarded funding for new cattle vaccines
Bovine tuberculosis and Johne's disease targeted for vaccine development
Work to develop vaccines against two diseases that attack the lungs and intestinal tracts of cattle has received a $2.9 million boost from Genome Canada to co-fund research at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) at the University of Saskatchewan. Bovine tuberculosis affects the lungs of cattle and bison, and wild species […] Read more

Hunting for Johne’s Disease in Saskatchewan
Johne’s is a sneaky disease you won’t notice until it is already well established in a herd but a group in Saskatchewan Agriculture is attempting to bring it out into the open. The catch is they can’t do it alone. They need help. Wendy Wilkins, DVM, PhD, with Saskatchewan Agriculture, says the Provincial Johne’s Screening […] Read more