Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) is an important veterinary pathogen, implicated in Sarcodosis and Crohn's disease. MAP infection in the uterus and placenta may leads to congenital infection and abortion in animals. Present study aimed to estimate association of MAP with spontaneous cases of human abortions in North India. Indigenous ELISA kit (using native protoplasmic antigen (NPA) from MAP 'Bison type' genotype of goat origin), originally developed for screening of goats was adapted for screening of MAP infection in human beings (Singh et al., 2005). The purified protoplasmic antigen (PPA) of MAP 'Bovine' origin was procured from Allied Monitor, Inc., (USA) and used in place of NPA in this ELISA kit for screening of serum samples. Kit 1 and kit 2 were developed using NPA and PPA, respectively. Fifty serum samples (20 from Bareilly region of Uttar Pradesh and 30 from Punjab) from spontaneous cases of human abortions in North India were screened and 34.0 and 30.0% patients were positive by Kit 1 and Kit 2, respectively. Of the 20 samples (7 from District Female Hospital, 8 from Nildev Hospital, and 5 from Suvidha Hospital) from Bareilly region, 30.0% were positive by each Kit (Kit 1 and it 2). Individually 14.2, 50.0, 20.0% and 14.2, 37.5, 40.0% samples were positive in District Female Hospital, Nildev Hospital and Suvidha Hospital by kit 1 and kit 2, respectively. While of the 30 sample from Punjab (Gurpreet Nursing Home), 36.6 and 30.0% samples were positive in kit 1 and 2, respectively.

On comparative evaluation, 2 kits together detected total 42.0% patients positive for MAP antibodies. The 22.0% samples were detected as positive by both the kits. The agreement (positive and negative) between two kits was 80.0%. The 12.0% and 8.0% patients were detected independently by kit 1 and 2, respectively. In another study kit 1 and kit 2, detected, 100.0 and 40.0% serum samples positive from CD patients. The 80.0% patients were positive in stool culture and MAP colonies were characterized using IS900 PCR (personal communication). High sero-response to both MAP antigens (34.0% for NPA and 30.0% for PPA) indicated the contamination of patients with MAP of possible animal origin. Further isolation and genotyping is needed to confirm these findings.