- Johne's disease (JD) and Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) were discussed at a goat disease surveillance meeting in Australia. - JD causes wasting in goats and is typically spread through manure or colostrum/milk. Testing cannot detect early infections. CAE causes arthritis and wasting in goats. - There is a push to control and eradicate CAE due to animal welfare concerns, risks to other industries, and potential human health issues linked to small ruminant lentiviruses. Failure to act could damage goat farming if consumer views change regarding diseases in livestock.

1. ©
JD and CAE in Goats –
Surveillance Meeting
Adelaide, October, 2019
Presentation by Dr Sandra Baxendell, goatvetoz

2. Johne’s disease = paratuberculosis
● Caused by Mycobacterium avian subspecies
paratuberculosis often abbreviated to Map or
MAP
● MAP also = Market Assurance Program
● See johnes.org and subscribe to emails

3. Scouring isn’t the typical sign in
goats as it is with cattle

4. Goats with JD can just look like a
skinny goat
(photos thanks to NSW Dept)

5. Clinical JD in goats DAFWA

6. Justify It’s Not Johne’s
● JD in goats causes
wasting and generally
no scouring – just like
CAE and worms

7. PM signs – but easy to miss
(photos thanks to Victorian Dept)

8. Need to get lymph node stained

9. Johne’s disease goats also get
worms
Most JD goats have high WECs or
large worm burdens when PMed

10. Gut becomes a JD bacteria factory

11. Johne’s disease blood tests

12. No test can pick up JD early
Stage Clinical signs Positive with Normal
Blood Tests
Shedding in
Faeces
Early
incubation/silent
infection
None None No
Subclinical none Possible Yes but low
numbers
Clinical Weight loss Yes Yes- high
numbers
Advanced Emaciation,
dehydration,
clumped faeces,
intermittent
diarrhoea
Yes Yes-extremely
high numbers

13. Johne’s disease – long incubation
(Ontario Dept - http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/johnsdis.htm)

14. First Australian Goat Herd with Johne’s disease detected
Incubating Johne’s disease but not yet positive on blood test
Rest of herd
5 goats emaciated & destroyed
over 5 months
5 out of 24 goats with positive blood test
??????????????????????????????????????????????????

15. Johne’s disease tests = herd tests
Testing an individual goat before
buying = false sense of security

16. Which kid will introduce JD into your
herd ?

17. How could your herd get Johne’s
● Kids and young animals are most at risk but
adults can still get it
● Milk or colostrum esp. if dirty from manure
● Manure (even on boots or from floods)
● Feedlot/saleyard manure on pastures
BUT
Most diseases are bought & paid for i.e. new
stock (cattle, sheep, goats or alpaca)

18. The way most Johne’s gets into a
herd

19. JD deregulation in Australia
● MAP no longer available for cattle (still there for
goats)
● J-BAS or Dairy Assurance Score 1-8 in cattle
● Free movement between eastern states and SA
● No quarantine for JD & not told if the herd you
bought from gets JD
● Now up to individual & possibly their private vet
to manage

20. Goat with JD 3 years old

21. Johne’s disease is notifiable but just
affects exports

22. Overseas Exports

23. Economics- Vaccination is the most
economic method of control in
cattle, but goats???

24. Improve Farm Hygiene

25. 5 Reasons to Control JD
● Production losses (earlier in goats
than cattle)
● Animal welfare
● Sale of stock & exports
● Crohn’s disease, MS & type 1
diabetes trigger or cause?
● Global efforts to control JD

26. CAE - What’s in a Name?
 “Big Knees” &
“Hard Udder” of
unknown cause
 Caprine Arthritis
Encephalitis or
Caprine Retrovirus
 Small Ruminant
Lentivirus

27. SRLV can cross species barrier

28. 5Main Reasons for Supporting
CAE eradication
1. CAE = a risk to the sheep
industry
Sheep industry will pay 80% of any Maedi-
Visna eradication conflict

29. 5Reasons to eradicate CAE
1. CAE = a risk to the sheep industry
2. Animal welfare concerns
Goat product purchases will suffer like pork
from sow stalls or caged eggs

30. Welfare – no cure, obvious pain
Deformed legs Wasting & joint peri-arthritis

31. 5Reasons to eradicate CAE
1. CAE = a risk to the sheep industry
2. Animal welfare concerns
3. Globally CAE eradication
progressing

32. CAE eradication progressing

33. 5Reasons to eradicate CAE
1. CAE = a risk to the sheep industry
2. Animal welfare concerns
3. Global CAE eradication progressing
4. CAE = risk to meat and
fibre goats

34. Gumtree Adverts
● “Boer cross Saanens
available….. Some 1 and 2
yearlings available but all this
years' drop sold. No kids left.”
● " Buck Wanted". A small dairy
goat herd wanted to hire a
buck and a Boer goat as
indicated as a possible option.
No mention was made of the
CAE status of this herd.

35. Can we afford to wait ?
CAE = a slow virus & signs take
years +

36. Clinical Signs vs Viral Load
● Slow virus so clinical
signs may take years
● Serological positive tests
can take up to 3 years
● Some carriers may never
develop clinical signs
● CAE builds up until the
herd “crashes”

37. Need to Act Now
Before CAE spreads
white blood cells

38. 5Reasons to eradicate CAE
1. CAE = a risk to the sheep industry
2. Animal welfare concerns
3. Global CAE eradication progressing
4. CAE = risk to meat and fibre goats
5. CAEV is like HIV - Mexican
children given CAE positive goats’ milk
developed positive tests to CAE

39. HIV, another lentivirus
● Monkeys & Chimps to
humans
● Human AIDS/HIV

40. Will consumers be confident - CAE
is not zoonotic?

41. Researchers agree to an
association re MAP and human
disease but can’t agree re causation

42. “If Map was considered as a
murder suspect, it has both the
means and the opportunity.”
From – A Consensus Statement of the
American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine published 2012

43. But will health conscious consumers
care?

44. Youtube videos

45. www.crohn’s.org- Map highlighted

46. humanpara.org

47. Crohn’s & MS now being treated
with MAP antibiotics

48. New Zealand MapTest

49. Human Map vaccine trial

50. MAP Vaccine Facebook group

51. Youtube video by Crohn’s patient

52. Permeate free milk

53. HGP or Hormone Free

54. Lab grown meat is marketed as
“Clean Meat”
Photo source = https://www.beefcentral.com/news/why-are-some-of-the-worlds-largest-meat-processors-investing-in-lab-
grownmeat/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Beef%20Central%20News%20Headlines%20September%2011%202017&utm_content=Beef%20Central%20News%20Headlines%20September%2011
%202017+CID_9e3f6a835220003f5a12b88533f0c2af&utm_source=eGenerator&utm_term=Click%20here%20for%20full%20story

55. Nut alternatives Vs Real Milk

56. Tesco – aiming for 100% suppliers
tested for JD

57. Right to farm at risk?

58. Is a Train Wreck coming ?