Tags: Disease.
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.