Prevalence of Johne's disease in rabbits and kangaroos

Abstract

This report presents the results of a study of 300 rabbits and 300 kangaroos on 10 farms in NSW on which JD is endemic in the sheep flock. No evidence of active infection of kangaroos or rabbits was found despite evidence in one case that the causative bacterium was present in the faeces of a kangaroo from a farm on which the sheep flock was known to be heavily infected. The estimated prevalence of JD infection in kangaroos and rabbits on OJD-infected farms in NSW is 0%, with an upper 95% confidence limit of 1%. While this study does not allow us to conclude that infected wildlife will never be a significant reservoir of infection in cases where absolute freedom from disease is required, such as in eradication programs, it does show that kangaroos and rabbits pose an insignificant risk as a source of re-infection with OJD on farms which are undertaking strategies to reduce infection.