Cytokine Gene Expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α in Animals Infected with Johnes Disease

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne's disease, a chronic wasting condition that affects ruminants and causes intestinal inflammation and intermittent diarrhea.The immune response to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis is mostly dependent on cellular immunity, and Th1 cell-produced cytokines are particularly crucial.Early infections with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) appear to be frequently accompanied by the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IFN- and TNF- by Th1-type T cells.The present study was conducted to analyze the cytokine gene expression of JD positive animals which were detected positive by IS900 -PCR and were compared to five healthy animals.The gene expression of IFN- was found to be more upregulated in animals than TNF- as increased production of IFN- is characteristic of the infection caused by Mycobacterium as it is considered critical for control of mycobacterial infections.