Paratuberculosis

Paratuberculosis or Johne's disease ( /ˈjoʊnə/) is a contagious, chronic and sometimes fatal infection that primarily affects the small intestine of ruminants. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Infections normally affect ruminants (mammals that have four compartments of their stomachs, of which the rumen is one), but have also been seen in a variety of nonruminant species, including rabbits, foxes and birds. Horses, dogs and nonhuman primates have been infected experimentally. Paratuberculosis is found worldwide, with Norway, Sweden and some states in Australia as the only areas proven to be free of the disease.