Johne's disease (JD) has significant economic impact on deer and to some extent on dairy cattle production while little is known about its effect on beef, sheep and dairy goat enterprises in New Zealand. Since Mycobacterium avium subtype paratuberculosis (MAP) causes considerable economic loss and is a hypothesised human health hazard, considerable development efforts focus on the control of Johne's disease in New Zealand. This presentation summarises current research findings and evidence of inter-species transmission including domestic livestock and wildlife species. Options for control involving multi-species farming practices are evaluated leading to major new research objectives for the next five years.

Highlights of current evidence include a quantification of production loss and risk factors for clinical JD in dairy cattle, the impact of co-grazing with sheep and cattle and other risk factors on clinical JD in deer, evidence for a virulence difference between sheep and cattle strains, and performances of current and new diagnostic tests to detect sub-clinical infection with MAP.