Heat inactivation of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in raw milk: are current pasteurization conditions effective?

Abstract

Currently, it is not known whether commercial pasteurization effectively kills Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in contaminated raw milk. Results from holder test tube experiments indicated that a residual population of viable bacteria remained after treatment at 65, 72, 74, or 76 degrees C for 0 to 30 min. Use of a laboratory-scale pasteurizer unit demonstrated that treatment of raw milk at 72 degrees C for 15 s effectively killed all M. paratuberculosis.