Technologies

Mycobacterial infections cause major health problems for people and animals, including human tuberculosis, bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s disease. Johne’s disease (or paratuberculosis) afflicts 91 percent of dairy herds in the U.S. and costs the industry an estimated $500 million every year. Bovine tuberculosis, which is caused by a different subspecies of the bacteria, is endemic in dairy herds and a threat to wildlife in many developed countries including the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

Current diagnostic tests miss the early stages of infection and cannotdifferentiateinfected fromvaccinatedanimals (the DIVA principle). Early and reliable detection is imperative to control the infection in herds. A UW–Madison researcher has identified a set of biomarkers that can indicate whether a mammal is vaccinated or infected, as well as the type of infection (bovine tuberculosis or Johne’s disease).

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is seeking commercial partners interested in developing a method for the early diagnosis and differentiation of mycobacterial infections in livestock.