A long-term study in Angora goats experimentally infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis: Clinical disease, faecal culture and immunological studies

Two longitudinal experiments involving Angora goats challenged with either bovine or ovine strains of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) have been conducted over a period of 54 and 35 months, respectively. Blood samples for the interferon-γ (IFN-γ) test and the absorbed ELISA and faecal samples for bacteriological culture were taken pre-challenge and monthly post-challenge. Persistent shedding, IFN-γ production, seroconversion and clinical disease occurred earlier with the bovine Map gut mucosal tissue challenge inoculum than with cultured bacteria. The IFN-γ responses of the gut mucosal tissue and bacterial challenge groups were substantially and consistently higher than those of the control group. The in vivo and cultured cattle strains were much more pathogenic for goats than the sheep strains with persistent faecal shedding, seroconversion and clinical disease occurring in the majority of bovine Map challenged goats. With the ovine Map, 3 goats developed persistent antibody responses but only one of these goats developed persistent faecal shedding and clinical disease. However, there was no significant difference between the IFN-γ responses of the tissue challenged, bacterial challenged and control groups. Compared with sheep, the ELISA appeared to have higher sensitivity and the IFN-γ test lower specificity.