A comprehensive review of paratuberculosis in animals and its implications for public health

Paratuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP).
Typically, ruminant animals including cattle, buffalo, goats, and sheep are infected with MAP. Animals get infected
with MAP in a number of ways, such as by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or by nursing from an
infected mother who may have contaminated teats or directly shed the organism in milk or colostrum. Animal-derived
goods like meat, dairy, and tainted surface water have the potential to spread paratuberculosis through zoonotic
transmission. Reports of paratuberculosis have been received from United States, Oceania, Asia, and Africa, in addition
to several European nations like Germany, Italy, and France. Paratuberculosis pathology is characterized by chronic
lymphangitis, chronic enteritis, or mesenteric lymphadenopathy. In animals, wasting and watery green diarrhea are
the major signs. There are two kinds of paratuberculosis diagnostic tests that are available; the goal of the first set of
tests is to identify MAP while the second set consists of immunological tests. Due to similar clinical signs, some forms
of the illness, such as wasting and watery green diarrhea, may be mistaken for paratuberculosis. Crohn’s disease has
been linked to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis as the etiological culprit in humans. To prevent the infection from
spreading to uninfected animal populations, drastic measures must be implemented. Despite the economic burden of
paratuberculosis, research aimed at developing therapeutic medicines is focused on public health rather than veterinary
uses. This review therefore focuses on a comprehensive detail of paratuberculosis in animals, including its public
health implications and economic impact.