An estimated prevalence of @entity3068 in a subpopulation of Alabama beef XXXX .

@entity281 @entity291 @entity3068 @entity3069
The objective of this study was to estimate the overall prevalence of animals that were infected with @entity3069 ssp. @entity3068 in a subpopulation of Alabama beef @entity291 . This was determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of @entity3069 ssp. @entity3068 -specific antibodies in serum. Serum was collected from 79 herds that were participating in the Alabama Brucellosis Certification program. A total of 2,073 beef @entity291 were randomly tested by selecting 30 animals per herd in herds greater than 30 and selecting all animals in herds 30 and less for testing. It has been estimated that the commercial ELISA test used has a 60% sensitivity and a 97% specificity. Of the 79 herds tested, 29 herds were seronegative, 24 herds had 1-2 positive animals, and 26 herds had 3 or more seropositive animals. The average number of infected animals per positive herd was 3.3. In addition, a calculated minimum of 53.5% of the herds were identified as Johne's positive herds with a 95% confidence level. Of the total number of animals tested, 8.0% (166/2,073) of them were positive by the ELISA. After adjustments for test sensitivity and specificity and the proportion of animals sampled per herd, the true prevalence was calculated to be 8.75%. These data suggest that approximately 50% of the herds are infected with @entity3069 ssp. @entity3068 , and the overall prevalence of @entity281 in Alabama beef @entity291 is approximately 8%, which correlates with other previously published regional estimates.
