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24 Januari 2009 – 14:45 | by wahyuagung
Johne’s disease (pronounced yo-knees) is a contagious, chronic and usually fatal bacterial infection that mainly infects the small intestine of such ruminants as cattle, sheep and goats as well as farm-raised deer, elk, llamas, alpaca, bison and zoological wildlife.
Until now, the only way to prevent the disease was to identify and cull infected animals and then prevent the spread of the disease with management changes. The Cornell team identified and prepared the antigen necessary for the vaccine development. Their antigen is licensed to the Biotechnology Research and Development Corp.
Johne’s disease is caused by the Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, a hardy bacterium known to survive for up to a year in the outside environment, and related to the agents of leprosy and tuberculosis. Found worldwide, the bacterium causes a thickening of the intestinal wall that blocks the normal absorption of food. Infected animals eat normally but cannot absorb any nutrients, which results in wasting and death.
Scientists at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine have developed a vaccine that prevents Johne’s disease, a condition that leads to $220 million to $250 million in losses annually to the U.S. dairy industry. The breakthrough will be published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Vaccine.
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