원헬스 관점에서 본 한국 재래염소의 Mycobacterium bovis 및 Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis 전국 감시와 역학적 분석 = Nationwide Surveillance of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Korean Native Goats (Capra hircus coreanae) under a One Health Framework

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Tuberculosis (TB) and Johne’s disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), respectively, are chronic mycobacterial infections of ruminants with major economic impact and potential public-health relevance. Despite the growing role of goats in South Korea’s livestock sector, country-level epidemiological evidence for caprine TB and JD has remained limited. Here, we report the first nationwide surveillance of M. bovis and MAP in Korean native black goats (Capra hircus coreanae) conducted within a One Health framework.
Between 2023 and 2024, blood samples were collected from 1,285 goats across 257 farms in nine provinces using a two-stage cluster sampling design. M. bovis infection was assessed using an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA), and MAP exposure was evaluated using an indirect ELISA. Apparent and true prevalence were estimated at both animal and farm levels with 95% confidence intervals.
At the individual goat level, apparent prevalence was 7.47% for IGRA positivity and 6.93% for MAP ELISA seropositivity. At the farm level, 24.12% of farms had at least one IGRA-positive goat and 21.01% had at least one MAP-seropositive goat. After adjustment for diagnostic performance, true prevalence estimates were approximately 8.04% (goat-level IGRA) and 5.86% (goat-level MAP ELISA), where true farm level prevalence increased to ~32–33% for both pathogens. No statistically significant regional differences were detected. Spatial visualization showed only subtle, exploratory gradients without evidence of distinct clustering. The frequent co-occurrence of M. bovis and MAP at the farm level suggests shared determinants, plausibly reflecting environmental persistence of mycobacteria and management conditions in multi-host production settings.
Overall, both M. bovis and MAP appear endemically present in Korean goat farms, with comparatively low apparent prevalence at the animal level but substantial farm-level occurrence. These findings support the inclusion of goats in Korea’s integrated mycobacterial surveillance and risk-based control strategies under a One Health approach.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. INTRODUCTION 1
• 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 5
• 2.1. Ethics statement 5
• 2.2. Study design and sampling strategy 5
• 2.3. Blood sampling and processing 6
• 2.4. Detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection using interferon-γ release assay 7
• 2.5. Detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis exposure using ELISA 8
• 2.6. Prevalence estimation and statistical analysis Apprent prevalence (AP) 9
• 2.7. Geographic visualization 10
• 3. RESULTS 11
• 3.1. Animal- and farm-level prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis infection detected by IFN-γ release assay 11
• 3.2. Animal- and farm-level seroprevalence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in goatsdetected by ELISA 12
• 3.3. Geographic distribution of IFN-γ and MAP ELISA positivity 12
• 4. DISCUSSION 14
• 5. CONCLUSION 18
• 6. REFERENCES 19
• 7. ABSTRACT (KOREAN) 27