In the final stage, there may be 30 to 30,000 mycobacteria per ounce in her colostrum and milk. The bacteria can spread to infect a fetus in utero . Johne's disease can be prevented, controlled and even eliminated from infected herds, by applying critical management points that are based on an understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the disease. Prevention or control of Johne s takes commitment and time. Half-hearted attempts to prevent or control the disease will generally fail.
Prevention is in all ways, cheaper than control.
After the infection enters a herd it may be years before clinical signs are noticed and then may take five or more years to control. Therefore, prevention should be the goal of every beef cattle operator. If they are Johne s-free, assist them with plans to prevent entrance of infection. Recall that current tests are adequate tools that function well at the herd level for determining the infection status of the client s herd, or that of potential replacement animals from tested herds. However, they have low accuracy in detecting the early stages of infection, even in mature animals.