Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection causes in ruminants a regional chronic enteritis that is
increasingly being recognized as a significant problem affecting animal health, farming and the food industry due
to the high prevalence of the disease and to recent research data strengthening the link between the pathogen
and human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Control of the infection through hygiene-management measures
and test and culling of positive animals has to date not produced the expected results and thus a new focus on
vaccination against this pathogen is necessary. This review summarizes all vaccination studies of cattle, sheep or
goats reporting production, epidemiological or pathogenetic effects of vaccination published before January 2010
and that provide data amenable to statistical analyses. The meta analysis run on the selected data, allowed us to
conclude that most studies included in this review reported that vaccination against MAP is a valuable tool in
reducing microbial contamination risks of this pathogen and reducing or delaying production losses and
pathogenetic effects but also that it did not fully prevent infection. However, the majority of MAP vaccines were
very similar and rudimentary and thus there is room for improvement in vaccine types and formulations.

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• Paratuberculosis control: a review with a focus on vaccination