Perceptions of Beef Cow-Calf Producers and Veterinarians on Losses Associated with Johne’s Disease

Abstract

Johne’s disease (JD) caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is a chronic diarrheal disease that reduces production efficiency at the animal and herd levels. Due to the chronic nature of the disease, the losses at the individual animal level are not readily apparent, but they are often substantial at the herd level over the long term. In the absence of actual estimates of JD associated losses, understanding perceived losses would be useful to plan economically efficient control programs. This study was conducted to describe and compare the perceived economic losses associated with JD among cow-calf producers and veterinarians in the US.