Information value of diagnostic tests

Information on sensitivity and specificity, in particular, is needed in order to critically evaluate apparent prevalence data. Finally, simplicity and cost aspects are crucial for their large-scale application in farming conditions.

Work carried out during the period 2006-2010

• Development of a detection system for respiratory diseases in young cattle based on the measurement of ruminal temperature using bolus measurements (Timsit et al., 2010, in press)
• Evaluation of a scoring grid for the severity of radiographic limb injuries in foals
• Evaluation of a real-time rT-PCR for the detection of bovine respiratory syncytial visus 
• Effect of age on the response to serological and faecal tests for Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis in goats 
• Evaluation of different tests (ELISA, PCR) applied to different matrices (milk, blood, mixed milk) at individual and herd level for the detection of Coxiella burnetii. 

 Current Projects

Ongoing projects include :

Assessing the informational value of simple or combined tools to determine the status of an animal or herd with respect to a disease or pathogen. The objects of application are currently :

•  Digital dermatitis (contact : Raphael Guatteo)
•  S. uberis mastitis (contact : Nathalie Bareille)
•  Partuberculosis (Contact : Alain Joly)
•  Subacute Acidosis of the Dairy Cow
•  Parasitism in cattle (UMT link Axis 1-3) (Contact : Alain Chauvin)

Evaluation of non-specific surveillance/monitoring systems for the early detection of diseases at different scales (herd, region), by developing adapted statistical models. The application objects are currently :

•  The health status of cattle in a broad sense (Contact : Henri Seegers)
•  The CFO virus (Contact : Carole Peroz)