Add to ORKGJohne\u27s (pronounced yo-knees) disease is a slowly progressive disease of ruminants, including cattle. All beef producers need to be concerned about Johne\u27s disease. Johne\u27s costs the commercial beef producer through excessive culling, death loss, and suboptimal herd performance. Producers who sell Johne\u27s infected breeding stock have been involved in litigation for selling diseased animals. Johne\u27s is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. M. paratuberculosis is slow growing and resistant to all common antibiotics. In contrast to most common bacteria, the Johne\u27s organism persists in the environment for long periods of time, especially in areas associated with water. The organism survives for nine months i...