Welcome to the Johne's Disease Integrated Program (JDIP) website, a public resource for researchers and others interested in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of Johne's Disease. The site includes both areas open to the public and secure areas available to researchers participating in the JDIP projects. Visitors are welcome to view any of the public sections on this site. If you are a JDIP Investigator and don't already have a login, please contact the Principal Investigator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for login information that will allow you access to the secure areas. . The site will evolve as the project progresses and content will be added as it becomes available. We invite you to check back often.

JDIP to Meet at the JAM – July 11-15, 2010 in Denver, Colorado

The 2010 JDIP Annual Conference will be held in conjunction with the Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), the Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS) and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), July 11 to 15, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. JDIP and Johne’s related sessions will be held on the 11th and 12th. The meeting provides the opportunity to participate in a major scientific meeting as well as network with scientists and industry professionals from around the world. The JAM normally draws about 2,600 participants from 50 or more nations. Arrangements have been made for a special one-day JDIP registration for Monday, but JDIP members are encouraged to register for and participate in the full scientific meeting. Abstract submissions are due February 16, 2010. Additional meeting registration and abstract submission information is available under our “Annual Meeting” link. Detailed JAM information may be found at http://adsa.psa.ampa.csas.asas.org/meetings/2010/

Project 2: Diagnostics Project Update

Please visit the "Project 2: Diagnostics Project Update" link for further information.

JDIP Year 6 Request for Applications (RFA)

Thank you to all of those who applied for the JDIP Year 6 RFA. Please visit the "Funding Opportunities" link for the application review process and award information. We look forward to reviewing your proposals.

October 2009 JDIP Newsletter

Check out the latest information on JDIP. The October 2009 issue of "JDIP News" is now available. It includes articles about the JDIP year 6 funding application process, JDIP at the 10th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis, updates with the APHIS-JDIP vaccine project and the diagnostic test standard project, and overviews of other JDIP activities.

The APHIS-JDIP Vaccine Project

After much discussion, coordination, and paper work, we are now ready to initiate the USDA-APHIS sponsored vaccine testing program, and will be accepting submissions for participation in the program.

Submission guidelines and forms for live MAP vaccine candidates ( PDF or Word ) are also available. Please forward to any investigators whom you feel may have an interest since this is an excellent opportunity to evaluate your candidate vaccines in a direct comparison with other candidates submitted by your peers.

For those who are unfamiliar with the program, there is interest among many veterinarians and producers alike in the application of vaccination as a tool in Johne’s programs; however, there is only one vaccine available at the present time. That vaccine has limitations and is not approved for use in all states. JDIP scientists are working closely with USDA-APHIS-VS in an effort to identify viable vaccine candidates and evaluate those with the greatest potential for commercial development. The project is in the initial stages of a three step process.

Phase I – Potential candidates are currently being solicited. This includes both modified live organisms and subunits. In vitro screening in two laboratories will identify the “Best Candidates.”

Phase II - These “Best Candidates” will next be evaluated through the use of a mouse model. It is anticipated that two laboratories will conduct the infection/protection studies in the mouse.

Phase III – The “Best Candidates” identified through the mouse studies will then be evaluated using a “Goat model.” This will provide data similar to that from cattle, but the data are available in a much shorter time frame and at a lower cost.

JDIP – Year 5 RFA

The JDIP received and reviewed 20 proposals in response to the Year 5 Request for Applications (RFA) with a total funding request exceeding $1.43 million. For the current funding cycle a total of $850,000 were available for support of JDIP programs and operations. All of the submitted proposals were reviewed externally, as well as by the JDIP Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) at an in-person meeting. Members of the External Advisory Board (EAB) as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program staff were in attendance at the SAB meeting to help provide input, oversight and observe the review process. As in past cycles, anyone who may have had a conflict of interest relative to any of the proposals being reviewed were excluded from the discussions and were not present in the room during the discussion. The JDIP Executive Committee (EC) compiled summary statements from the SAB meeting and based on the reviews and taking into consideration program priorities, made funding recommendations for the full EAB to consider. Based on a review of the proposals, summary statements, and recommendations by the EC, the EAB approved the following projects for support during year 5 (listed alphabetically by PI last name):

• Bannantine, John (National Animal Disease Center, USDA-ARS) $35,111

• Barletta, Raul (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) $43,626

• Bermudez, Luiz (Oregon State University) $75,000

• Chang, Yung-Fu (Cornell University) $89,798

• Grohn, Yrjo (Cornell University) $90,000

• McDonald, Jeannette (The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin) TBD

• Osterstock, Jason (Texas Agricultural Research and Extension Center) $41,392

• Schukken, Ynte (Cornell University) $75,000

• Sreevatsan, Srinand (The Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota) $88,541

• Talaat, Adel (The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin) $77,750

New Johne's Strategic Plan

A new "Strategic Plan" for addressing Johne's Disease was adopted at the 2008 US Animal Health Association Annual Meeting. The plan outlines new roles for industry and academia, as well as state and federal agencies, as we work together to address this important disease.New Johne's Strategic Plan Please contact Ken Olson This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions of comments on the plan.

National Dairy Producer Johne’s Survey

A National Dairy Producer Johne's survey, funded by the Johne’s Disease Integrated Program (JDIP) and led by Penn State University has recently been completed. The survey, which was mailed to approximately 15% of the dairy producers in each state, sought to identify barriers to and incentives for participation in the Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program. Over 2,000 surveys were returned. Results are being analyzed in detail, but several preliminary results are of special interest.

► Approximately 50% of those responding have had Johne’s disease diagnosed or have seen clinical signs of the disease in their herd

► Approximately 1/3 did not know if their state had a Johne’s program

► Concern over Johne’s was the primary reason identified for participating in the program. Financial incentives, such as reduced testing cost and Risk Assessments, were positive factors.

► Over 80% listed Farm magazines and Veterinarians as primary Johne’s Information sources. Veterinarians, farm magazines and extension were the most reliable sources of information

Additional details will be available at http://vetextension.psu.edu and http://www.jdip.org/ and through upcoming publications.

Contact

Should you need any assistance regarding JDIP, please feel free to contact the JDIP Project Assistant, Tiffany Cunningham, via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at (814) 867-0261.