Comparative evaluation of two decontamination methods for the isolation of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis from faecal slurry and sewage

Faecal slurry of animal origin from sale yards and raw sewage from a sewage treatment plant were sampled for the radiometric culture over 5 months at approximately weekly intervals. Before the radiometric culture, samples were decontaminated using the double incubation method. One set of triplicate samples of slurry and sewage was decontaminated at 37 degrees C and the other set was decontaminated at 42 degrees C. M. a. paratuberculosis or its DNA was detected in seven of 45 cultures (15.6%) of slurry decontaminated at 37 degrees C and in 14 of 39 cultures (35.9%) of slurry decontaminated at 42 degrees C. The contamination rates in cultures of slurry processed at 37 degrees C and 42 degrees C were 82.2% and 69.2%, respectively. M. a. paratuberculosis DNA was also detected in one of 45 cultures (2.2%) of sewage decontaminated at 42 degrees C. The contamination rates in samples of sewage processed at 37 degrees C and 42 degrees C were 84.4% and 4.4%, respectively. Results of this study warrant further investigations to evaluate the suitability of a decontamination method at 42 degrees C for the isolation of M. a. paratuberculosis from faeces, tissues and milk.