Testing for Johne's disease using milk samples is now available through two state laboratories.
MINNESOTA - The labs, Minnesota DHIA Lab in Zumbrota and the Stearns DHIA Lab in Sauk Centre, use Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay analysis to test either fresh or preserved milk samples, said Mark Heidgerken, Stearns DHIA lab manager.
21 March 2007
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Minnesota Board of Animal Health veterinarians are pleased with its accuracy, said Paul Anderson, Board of Animal Health veterinarian. The tests from DHIA cost $5 a sample.
Since the labs started Johne's testing with milk samples, the Zumbrota lab has tested less than 50 herds and the Stearns lab, around 20. Some producers test monthly and have made it part of their herd health program.
Both serum and milk samples are tools in the testing process, Anderson said. If a milk sample is positive for Johne's, producers can make management decisions about the animal or have a fecal sample analyzed for confirmation of the disease.
