<p>Paratuberculosis is a ruminant disease caused by <i>Mycobacterium avium</i> subsp. <i>paratuberculosis</i> (MAP) that also affects several non-ruminant species. The pathogenesis, transmission, and zoonotic potential of MAP are known in both livestock and wild ruminants and change according to the host species involved. In farms paratuberculosis causes huge economic losses since in ruminants the disease manifests as chronic enteritis with clinical signs occurring only in an advanced state of infection. Since the main transmission route is the fecal-oral, environmental contamination could play a key role in transmission, cycle and public health. The risk is strongly increased by the high survival and persistence in the environment and by a high resistance to physical and chemical treatments. In this context, non-ruminant wildlife, not showing obvious symptoms, can act as a reservoir of MAP excreting the pathogen into the environment through feces, contributing to the spread and the increased risk of infection in case of contact between farmed and wild animals. The presence of MAP in non-ruminant wildlife also contributes to the difficulty of diagnosis due to limitations in isolating the pathogen from feces, the long incubation period, the low sensitivity of diagnostic tests in identifying asymptomatic animals in the early stage of disease and the occurrence of cross-reactions. Therefore, the role of non-ruminant wildlife in the ecology of paratuberculosis still remains unclear as does the knowledge of the strength of MAP infection between farmed and wild animals. This points out the urgency of better understanding the potential role of these wild animals in the spread, epidemiology and control of paratuberculosis.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>