Johne’s disease is a contagious, chronic, slowly developing, and fatal bacterial disease of the intestinal tract caused by the Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. This bacteria is very resistant to heat, cold, and antibiotics and can survive in the soil or water for years. It is mostly seen in ruminants and causes weight loss even with a good appetite. Diarrhea is not a common sign in goats. This disease can be confused with parasitism, caseous lymphadenitis or malnutrition. It usually spreads through consumption of organisms shed in the manure of a contaminated animal entering the premises. Prevention practices include purchasing animals from Johne’s disease free herds that test-negative for the disease and checking the proportion of animals in the herd that are unthrifty.Testing is available to control this disease and identify contaminated animals. Blood tests for antibodies to M. paratuberculosis by either the ELISA or AGID are the two most useful blood tests. It is an incurable disease. If you suspect the disease, it is recommended to remove contaminated animals from the herd and consult with your veterinarian as soon as possible.

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