Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection causes suppression of RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and tumor necrosis factor alpha expression in peripheral blood of experimentally infected cattle.

Blood from cattle with subclinical Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection was stimulated with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis antigens, and expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and IL-8 was measured. Expression of TNF-alpha, RANTES, and MCP-1 was lower in infected than in uninfected cattle. The reduced response may weaken protective immunity and perpetuate infection.