Ovine paratuberculosis: epidemiological-molecular aspects and perception analysis of veterinarians and rural producers in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, Johne's disease, sheep farming, epidemiology, questionnaire, biosecurity
Paratuberculosis is chronic enteritis caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map). The disease affects ruminants worldwide, including sheep, and can cause various economic losses when present in the herd. The objective of this research was to systemically review and meta-analyze the general prevalence of Map infection in sheep, to conduct an epidemiological-molecular study of the infection in sheep farms in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, and to analyze the perception of the disease in veterinarians and rural producers in the state. We analyzed 27 studies after selection in six databases, belonging to 18 countries and on five continents. After the random model meta-analysis, an overall prevalence of 8.79% (95% CI, 4.89–13.66) was verified. The prevalence values were separated by region, with high heterogeneity (I2=99%) and significant differences between regions (p=0.0319). To analyze possible publication biases, the Egger test was performed and significant bias was observed (p=0.0244). A total of 276 blood samples and 261 fecal samples were collected from sheep from ten farms in Pernambuco, Brazil. Subsequently, the blood samples were submitted to a serological test of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA; IDEXX Paratuberculosis Screening®). The feces samples were processed for microbiological culture and molecular analysis by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Of the 276 serum samples analyzed, 0.72% (2/276) were positive for anti-Map antibodies. At the microbiological examination, no colonies suggestive of Map were observed, and all the samples were negative in the PCR. An investigative questionnaire on paratuberculosis and biosecurity practices was applied to 84 veterinarians and 54 rural producers in the state of Pernambuco. Significant differences were observed between the groups of veterinarians (MV) and rural producers (PR) in different questions (p>0.05). 97.62% (MV, n=82/84) and 55.56% (PR, n=30/54) answered yes to knowledge about paratuberculosis, while those who answered whether they had ever had cases of paratuberculosis were 26.19% (MV, n=22/84) and 11.11% (PR, n=6/54) (p=0.0013). Regarding biosecurity practices, 1.19% (n=1/84) of veterinarians and 44.44% (n=24/54) of rural producers were unaware of the term, but the preventive measure most frequently performed by the groups was vaccination with 90.48% (n=76/84) and 100% (n=54/54) for veterinarians and rural producers, respectively. The results of the research suggest that there is a low prevalence of Map infection in sheep herds in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Despite the low prevalence, periodic monitoring in sheep herds is necessary because it is a disease that causes serious damage to rural producers and is distributed in several regions of the world as observed through the general prevalence of the systematic review. Regarding the perception analysis, we can conclude that the group of veterinarians presents a better perception of paratuberculosis and biosecurity practices in relation to the group of rural producers in the state of Pernambuco. However, the adoption of educational policies for this population is a way to improve the reach of this group to this information.