APHIS's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), which designed the study, will analyze the data. The Goat 2009 study has the following objectives:- Determine producer awareness of veterinary services program diseases and describe management and biosecurity practices important for the control of infectious diseases: brucellosis, scrapie, caprine arthritic encephalitis (CAE), Johne's Disease, and caseous lymphadenitis.
- Establish a baseline description of animal health, nutrition, and management practices in the U.S. goat industry.
- Estimate the prevalence of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) infection, internal parasitism, and anthelmintic resistance.
- Characterize contagious ecthyma (sore mouth) in U.S. goats. Determine producer awareness of zoonotic potential and practices to prevent sore mouth transmission, and assess producer interest in an improved vaccine for sore mouth.
- Examine factors that correlate with CAE virus levels.
- Provide genetic and serological banks for future research.
Participation in USDA's Goat 2009 Study is voluntary and confidential. Results will be presented in regional and national databases.
