The prevalence of Johne's disease (JD) in Swiss dairy cattle is not well known. Although it is mandatory to declare clinical cases of JD in Switzerland, Animal Health authorities suspect that the disease is underreported. In 2004 the Animal Population Health Institute (APHI) at Colorado State University collaborated with the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office (SFVO) in the elaboration of a document to provide scientifically sound recommendations for the selection of intervention strategies for control of JD in Switzerland. Herd level sensitivity, herd level specificity, and cost were calculated for the application of whole-herd ELISA, herd-subset ELISA, whole-herd fecal culture, and pooled fecal culture. Herd size of 33 cattle head, close herd management, and three within-herd prevalence scenarios (5%, 10% and 15%) were assumed for these calculations. Our results suggest that none of the testing strategies evaluated in this study could be used to accurately classify herds by their MAP infection status in Switzerland if the within herd prevalence of JD is 5% or lower. Management strategies aimed at reducing the exposure of susceptible calves to contaminated manure would be more effective at controlling the disease. In herds with prevalence levels higher than 10%, intervention strategies based on fecal culture could be use to accurately classify MAP infected herds. Pooled fecal culture is the least costly of the two culture-based intervention strategies evaluated in this study. Better estimates of disease prevalence should be obtained in Switzerland before a control program of JD is implemented. A survey based on the collection and culture of tissues from cattle randomly selected at the largest Swiss abattoirs was suggested for this purpose. Trace back of confirmed cases of JD to the farms of origin would provide information about potential geographic distribution and/or clustering of disease in Switzerland.