What is Johne's disease and what kind of animals get Johne's disease?
Johne's (pronounced "Yo-nees") disease is a contagious bacterial disease of the intestinal tract. A German veterinarian first described the disease in a dairy cow in 1895; his name is used as the common name for the disease. The disease is also called paratuberculosis. Visit the history page for more details.

Johne's disease occurs in a wide variety of animals, but most often in ruminants. Ruminants are hoofed mammals that chew their cud and have a 3-4 chambered stomach. Some of the more common ruminants are: cattle, sheep, goats, deer, antelope, and bison. Johne's disease has been reported in all of these animals but is most commonly seen in dairy cattle. On the left task bar choose the animal under "area of interest" and take a specific topic or you may choose the animal below and see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for that species.