BACKGROUND

Paratuberculosis (PTB), caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), is difficult to diagnose in the early stages and poses substantial challenges in prevention, control, treatment, and eradication. A well-defined animal model can help identify disease markers and serve as a platform for vaccine and drug development. This study used sheep as a ruminant model for experimental MAP infection research.

METHODS

Nine 3-month-old lambs with negative MAP antigen and antibody were divided into three groups (control group A and inoculated groups B and C). The inoculated groups were challenged with sheep-derived type II MAP. After exposure, we recorded clinical signs, assessed fecal shedding, tested blood MAP levels, and performed fecal cultures. We also measured MAP-specific antibodies and monitored IFN-γ and IL-10 responses in vivo. At 255 days after inoculation, we performed autopsy, tissue culture, pathomorphological observation, and bacterial organ burden (BOB) testing.

RESULTS

All six sheep in groups B and C were infected, regardless of the challenge dose and exhibited emaciation; two had intermittent soft stools. Intermittent MAP shedding in feces was observed from 60 to 255 days after exposure. Typical MAP colonies formed after 4-6 weeks of fecal and tissue culture, and Ziehl-Neelsen staining showed positive results. In the groups challenged with MAP, some blood samples tested positive for MAP and MAP-specific antibodies were detected in some serum samples. IFN-γ response was significantly higher in groups B and C than that in group A from day 60 post-exposure, whereas the IL-10 response was higher than that in group A from day 120 post-exposure. In the infected groups, the ileal lesions were the most severe and were classified as grade 3 PTB granulomatous inflammation (multibacillary lesions). BOB levels varied across different tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental MAP challenge study on sheep in China. Polymerase chain reaction detection was more sensitive than MAP culture, whereas enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was less sensitive for detecting MAP-specific antibodies. IFN-γ and IL-10 responses may serve as targets for monitoring PTB progression. The severity of ileal lesions and acid-fast bacilli grading play crucial roles in the understanding of infection dynamics. Currently, early PTB diagnosis requires a combination of multiple sample types and detection methods.