Herd management

Epidemiology is the study of factors that affect health and illness and is fundamental for providing insights into disease management. The JDRC epidemiology programme was aimed at identifying cost effective management procedures for reducing production losses caused by Johne’s disease.   

The epidemiology programme worked with farmers and vets to study the prevalence and nature of Johne’s disease on farm in New Zealand to develop practical procedures for on-farm management. Prior to 2008 there was very little data available on the nationwide prevalence of the MAP in livestock at both farm and animal-within-farm levels. The first comprehensive data set detailing the prevalence of Johne’s disease in New Zealand livestock was published in 2011 (read here and here), concluding that MAP is widespread in New Zealand, with over 50% of herds and flocks infected. However there is a low level of clinical disease, meaning only a small percentage of farms in New Zealand have a significant issue with the disease. These farms are likely to be experiencing loses due to high death rates and lowered productivity. 

A substantial number of practical tools were generated via the epidemiology objective including guidelines for the management and control of JD in dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep. 

Reports

• Research in Johne’s disease and Leptospirosis. Farm health and production Survey.  Cord Heuer, Massey University, 2008. Download here.
• Livestock Survey about JD and Leptospirosis – Preliminary Report. Cord Heuer, Massey University, 2009. Download here.
• Research into Johne’s disease and Leptospirosis - Report 2. Cord Heuer, Massey University, 2009. Download here.
• Simulation model of Johne’s disease transmission in multi-species pastoral systems in New Zealand. Cristobal Verdugo, Massey University, 2010. Download here.
• JDRC Annual Science Review report Year 3 (July 2010 to June 2011).  JDRC Platform: Epidemiology and Herd Control. Cord Heuer, Massey University, March 2011. Download here.
• The Prevalence of Johne’s disease in New Zealand. A review of our current understanding. Mark Bryan and Keryn Cresswell. August 2011. Download here.

Papers/proceedings

• THESIS: Epidemiology of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection on sheep, beef cattle and deer farms in New Zealand. Cristobal Verdugo, Massey University, November 2013. Download here.
• Johne’s disease in New Zealand livestock. Cord Heuer, Peter Wilson and Kaylene Larking. VetScript, 2011. Download here.
• Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolated from sheep, cattle and deer on New Zealand pastoral farms. Cristobal Verdugo et.al. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 117 (3-4), 436-46, December 2014.

• Estimation of flock/herd-level true Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis prevalence on sheep, beef cattle and deer farms in New Zealand using a novel Bayesian model. Cristobal Verdugo, Geoff Jones, Wes Johnson, Peter Wilson, Lesley Stringer, Cord Heuer Preventive Veterinary Medicine 117 (2014) 447–455. Download here.

Posters/Presentations

• Associations between Clinical Paratuberculosis, Production and Species Interaction in Co-Grazed Ruminant Species in New Zealand.  C. Heuer, C. Verdugo. Download here.
• Johne’s disease Epidemiology. Cord Heuer, Massey University, 2011. Download here.
• Paratuberculosis prevalence in New Zealand pastoral livestock (Preliminary results). Cristobal Verdugo, Massey University, 2010. Download here.
• Johne’s disease (PTB) –EpiNews. Cord Heuer, Massey University. Download here.
• Johne’s disease in mixed species farming systems. Cord Heuer, Massey University, 2014. Download here.
• Modelling JD On Sheep Farms : A Tool To Estimate Cost-Benefit Of Control Strategies. International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology Conference 2013, Nellie Marquetoux, Massey University. Download here.

Reports

• JDRC Annual Science Review report, Year 3 July 2010 to June 2011.  Cord Heuer, Massey University, March 2011. Download here.
• JDRC Annual Science Review report, Year 4 July 2011 to June 2012.  Cord Heuer, Massey University, April 2012. Download here.
• 5.2 Modelling Final report, Year 5, July 2012 – December 2013. Cord Heuer, Massey University, January 2014. Download here.
• Transmission dynamics of MAP in pastoral grazing systems of ruminant livestock in New Zealand. Cord Heuer, Massey University. Download here.
• A review of paratuberculosis in New Zealand’s pastoral livestock systems with a focus on current control strategies. Milan Gautam, Anne Ridler, Peter Wilson and Cord Heuer.  Massey University, April 2016. Download here.
• Milestone report: Dairy Cattle Intervention Model Paratuberculosis.  Cord Heuer, Massey University, June 2016. Download here.
• Milestone Report: Economics of controlling Johne’s disease in New Zealand sheep flocks through vaccination: a web-based decision support tool, Carolyn Gates, Nelly Marquetoux, & Cord Heuer, June 2016. Download here.
• Milestone Report: Economic Analysis. Cord Heuer, Massey University. August 2016. Download here.

Presentations/Posters

• Transmission dynamics of MAP in pastoral grazing systems of ruminant livestock in New Zealand.  Cord Heuer, June 2016 Keynote lecture to 13th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis. Download here.
• JDRC Epidemiology 5.2 Modelling. Cord Heuer, Massey University. Download here.
• Economics of OJD: estimation of economic losses due to paratuberculosis in the meat sheep industry in New Zealand Marquetoux N., Ridler A., Wilson P., Heuer C. Massey University. Download here.
• Johne’s disease in mixed species farming systems Cord Heuer. B+LNZ Farmer event, Fielding May 2014. Download here.
• Meta-analysis of paratuberculosis progression in experimental sheep studies informing mathematical modelling. Marquetoux N., Mitchell R., Wilson P., Stevenson M., Ridler A. and Heuer C. Massey University. Download here.

Papers/Proceedings

• Modelling transmission dynamics of paratuberculosis of red deer under pastoral farming conditions.  Cord Heuer et.al. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Volume 106, Issue 1, 1 September 2012, Pages 63–74. Read here.

Resources

• Dairy Guidelines (download here) and info sheets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• Beef and Dairy Grazers Guidelines. Download here.
• Diagnostic Guideline for dairy cattle. Download here.
• Vetscholar training modules. Download here.

Reports

• Risk factors for the presence of Johne’s disease in dairy herds: a survey of New Zealand farmers. Jaimie Hunnam, Cognosco, Anexa Morrinsville, 8 April 2014. Download here.

Papers/Proceedings

• Johne’s control is possible: Does anyone have a MAP? J Hunnam, Cognosco.  Proceedings of The Society of Dairy Cattle Veterinarians of the NZVA Annual Conference, 2014. Read here and download here.
• Johne’s disease in New Zealand dairy, Jaimie Hunnam. Download here.

Resources

• Johne’s Disease – Management For New Zealand Sheep.  B+LNZ Fact Sheet, April 2016. Download here.

Reports

• Interim Report JDRC Intervention Phase – OJD Study. Cord Heuer and Peter Anderson. Massey University and the Vet Centre Marlborough.  February 2014. Download here.
• Final Report JDRC Intervention Phase – Ovine Johne’s Disease.  Cord Heuer and Peter Anderson. Massey University and The Vet Centre Marlborough, March 2015. Download here.

Presentations/Posters

• Ewe Mortality and Johne’s disease. Peter Anderson, The Vet Centre Marlborough, June 2016. Download here.

Resources

• Diagnostic Workshop information.  Solis Norton, Johne’s Management Limited, 2015. Download here.

Reports

• Farmer views on Johne’s Disease - Understanding farmers’ perspectives on the impact of Johnes’s Disease.  Daniel Martin-Collado, Peter Fennessy, and Tim Byrne, AbacusBio Limited, October 2014. Download here.
• The JML Johne's Disease Slaughterhouse Surveillance Database: The relationship between lesion rate, farmer concern about JD and perception of its impact.  Daniel Martin-Collado, Peter Fennessy, and Tim Byrne, AbacusBio Limited, September 2014. Download here.
• Perceptions of Johne's disease and a summary of deer farm characteristics in 2014 - Results from a JML phone survey of 151 deer farmers.  Hannah Phillips, JML Assistant, Solis Norton, JML Project Manager. Download here.

Papers/Proceeding

• In press: A comparison of serum ELISA tests for detecting paratuberculosis in New Zealand deer, P F Fennessy, N B Jopson and S Norton, 2016