Line 10:
Line 10:
Following ingestion of ''M. paratuberculosis'' and uptake by the Peyer's patches, infection begins in the ileum. ''M. paratuberculosis'' infects macrophages in the gastrointestinal tract and lymph nodes leading to a granulomatous inflammatory response. This leads to malabsorption and a [[Protein Losing Enteropathy|protein-losing enteropathy]].
Following ingestion of ''M. paratuberculosis'' and uptake by the Peyer's patches, infection begins in the ileum. ''M. paratuberculosis'' infects macrophages in the gastrointestinal tract and lymph nodes leading to a granulomatous inflammatory response. This leads to malabsorption and a [[Protein Losing Enteropathy|protein-losing enteropathy]].
+
+
The organism is viable in the environment for long periods of time and has a long incubation period with clinical signs appearing in cattle over 2 years of age.
==Clinical Signs==
==Clinical Signs==