Survival of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in slurry.

Cattle and swine slurry and a mixture of equal parts of both, was mixed with a culture of M. paratuberculosis, 0.1 mg per ml (1 mg = 33 X 10(6) viable units) and stored under anaerobic conditions at 5 degrees and 15 degrees C. At 5 degrees C the survival time for M. paratuberculosis was 252 days in all 3 kinds of slurry, and at 15 degrees C it was 98 days in cattle slurry, 182 days in swine slurry, and 168 days in mixed slurry.