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Infection and Immunity, June 2006, p. 3530-3537, Vol. 74, No. 6
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01688-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Immunological and Molecular Characterization of Susceptibility in Relationship to Bacterial Strain Differences in Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Infection in the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

R. O'Brien,1 C. G. Mackintosh,2 D. Bakker,3 M. Kopecna,4 I. Pavlik,4 and J. F. T. Griffin1*

Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand,1 Invermay Research Centre, Mosgiel, New Zealand,2 Laboratory for Mycobacterial Infections and Brucellosis, Central Institute for Animal Disease Control, Lelystad, The Netherlands,3 Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic4

Received 13 October 2005/ Returned for modification 3 January 2006/ Accepted 1 March 2006

Johne's disease (JD) infection, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, represents a major disease problem in farmed ruminants. Although JD has been well characterized in cattle and sheep, little is known of the infection dynamics or immunological response in deer. In this study, typing of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates from intestinal lymphatic tissues from 74 JD-infected animals showed that clinical isolates of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis from New Zealand farmed red deer were exclusively of the bovine strain genotype. The susceptibility of deer to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was further investigated by experimental oral-route infection studies using defined isolates of virulent bovine and ovine M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis strains. Oral inoculation with high (109 CFU/animal) or medium (107 CFU/animal) doses of the bovine strain of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis established 100% infection rates, compared to 69% infection following inoculation with a medium dose of the ovine strain. The high susceptibility of deer to the bovine strain of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was confirmed by a 50% infection rate following experimental inoculation with a low dose of bacteria (103 CFU/animal). This study is the first to report experimental M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in red deer, and it outlines the strong infectivity of bovine-strain M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates for cervines.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Disease Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. Phone: 64 3 479 7710. Fax: 64 3 477 2160. E-mail: frank.griffin{at}stonebow.otago.ac.nz.

Editor: V. J. DiRita

Infection and Immunity, June 2006, p. 3530-3537, Vol. 74, No. 6
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01688-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Robinson, M., O'Brien, R., Mackintosh, C., Griffin, F. (2008). Differential Immune Responses of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) following Experimental Challenge with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. CVI 15: 963-969 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Palmer, M. V., Stabel, J. R., Waters, W. R., Bannantine, J. P., Miller, J. M. (2007). EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) WITH MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM SUBSP. PARATUBERCULOSIS. J Wildl Dis 43: 597-608 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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