The Silent Enemy
(Continued from Page A 1)
death although it continues to feed.
There is no cure for Johncs.
What makes this disease,, sp
frightening is that it is incurable,
hard to detect and spreads years
before the clinical symptons sur
face. Young stock arc most sus
ceptible to this incidious disease.
Generally calves are exposed to
and become infected in the first
few weeks of life, but may not
develop clinical signs of weight
loss or diarrhea for two to eight _
years. Animals remain suscepti- economic losses mount up:
ble to the disease until they reach -decreased milk production
1 ear-old. 'increased susceptibility to
The Johnes organism is spread ot^ r diseases
primarily through the ingestion of *} oss 6 enetic potential
fecal matter. Separating adult ani- *f oss ® x POrt market
mals from calves is critical to halt- •increased medical costs
ing the spread of Johnes. Also, ’weight loss at slaughter
calves must be taken from mothers *i° ss at auctlon sa ' es animals
arc birth to prevent the possibility have a statement that says exposed
of fecal iniake to J °bnes disease (Johne s is a
The infected animals may cany reportable disease to the Bureau of
the disease for several years and Animal Industry). Also, the aver
shed the organisms which spread a B® difference in body weight
the disease through the herd. But between a Johnes positye ammal
not until the stress of a second or and a Johnes free animal is approx -
third freshening brings out the visi- imately 110 pounds,
ble symptons will the Johnes dis- Infected animals shed the organ
eases be suspected. Any animal i sms in fecal matter. The organ
wilh diarrhea should be immedi- isms may survive for many months
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atcly isolated from the entire herd.
“The buyer doesn’t have a good
way of protecting himself. But I
strongly suggest the dairy farmer
isolates all new purchases and
have each one tested for Johnes,”
said Hutchinson. It takes 3-4
months to get the results and it may
be extra work, but compared to the
potential loss from Johnes it is well
worth it. Johnes is the most eco
nomically important disease for
southeastern farmers.”
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and irt some cases for years in the
environment. The major source of
infection to cattle is through direct
fecal contamination of fccdstuffs.
It is important to take these neces
sary precautions:
•separate calves from dams at
birth
•house all young stock separate
ly from older cows
•prevent fecal contamination
from feeds
•keep new animals separate
from herd until they have been
tested and certified free of Johnes
(this becomes easier with the new
lest soon to be available)
•discourage visitors from enter
ing feed rooms and feed alleys
unless boots are washed and
disinfected
•protect the herd from rodents,
birds and pets which travel from
neighboring farms
»o not mix replacement animals
with the adult herd until they are
alleast two-years-old.
•keep feeding bunks well-above
ground to minimize fecal
contamination
•do not spread manure on per
manent pasture used for grazing
cattle
•protect young cattle from all
waste water and drainage that may
come from areas occupied by adult
animals
Horses
•fence off or fill in any stagnant
water source and allow cattle to
drink from only tanks or free flow
ing stream
What docs this mean for area
dairy farmers.
“If I were buying any dairy ani
mals or stock, I would not buy
from a non-certificd herd,” said
Dr. Brian K. Reed, D.V.M., of
Hutchison & Trayer Veterinary
Associates in Denver. “Those far
mers who have their herd certified
negative for Johnes will be the
leaders in the industry.”.
_ At present certification is a
slow-process. There is a waiting
line to get on the state program and
the test results are slow in coming.
However, it is a place to begin.
Starting now will give that farmer
an edge not only when the test
results do come in and they are
negative, but it is of greater impor
tance if the tests show even one
animal positive. For the purebreed
breeder the losses can be
devastating.
‘“‘The Pennsylvania indemnity
program will pay the farmer only if
his herd is on the state testing prog
ram, if a technician appraises the
worth of the animal, and the ani
mals which test positive are sent to
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the slaughter house within 30 days
from tests results,” said Hutchin
son. “Last year the state paid out
$125,000 in indemnity money.”
The indemnity payment falls far
short of the worth of a registered,
high-indexed, good pedigreed ani
mal. Working on preventing the
spread are breed associations, Pen
nsylvania Farmers Association,
Pennsylvania Grange and other
farmers groups across the state are
working with the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture and the
Bureau of Animal Industry on a
testing plan.
Under this plan, specific and
strict requirements must be met for
a dairymen to earn a Johnes free
certificate. This plan could be in
effect by the end of 1988. It would
be voluntary.
Formulating and putting into
operation an accrediting plan for
Johnes is and will be a slow pro
cess. Until the time when breeders
can display their Johnes free certi
ficate and potential buyers can be
reasonably assured they are bring
ing Johnes free cows onto their
farm, precautions should be taken
to prevent the spread of this
destructive disease. A dairymen’s
milking herd is too much to lose.
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