A new compartmental model of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection dynamics in cattle.

ABSTRACT: Models of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), a chronic infectious agent of cattle, are used to identify effective control programs. However, new biological findings show that adult infections occur and that infected animals can be separated into 2 paths: animals that will become high-shedding and, eventually, experience clinical disease (high-path); and animals that will shed only small quantities of MAP and will remain subclinical (low-path). Longitudinal data analysis found that high-path animals progress more quickly than previously believed. A standard model of MAP transmission in dairy herds was modified to include adult low-path infections and 2 infection pathways for infected calves. Analysis of this model showed that adult infection may play an important role in MAP

SUBMITTER: Smith RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4679433 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature