Archive Case #54: Bovine Paratuberculosis

Clinical Clues

1. An adult cow in the herd has been losing weight for months despite maintaining a fair appetite.
2. The farmer reports chronic soft faeces that have gradually become more persistent.
3. The affected animal is bright but progressively emaciated.
4. There is no obvious response to routine parasite treatment.
5. Faecal and herd-level testing support a chronic mycobacterial enteric infection.
6. Paratuberculosis (Johne disease) commonly causes chronic wasting and diarrhoea in adult cattle.

Diagnosis

Bovine Paratuberculosis

This case is most consistent with Bovine Paratuberculosis because the cow has chronic wasting with persistent diarrhoea and testing supportive of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. The most important clues are the long time course, maintained appetite, and poor response to routine treatments, which make simple parasitism less likely.

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.