Research has been focused on the detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in pasteurized milk; however, pasteurized milk is a key ingredient in a variety of food products. Therefore, MAP contamination in milk-derived products must be investigated. We undertook a six-month study to investigate the presence of viable MAP and MAP genetic components in cheese curds purchased from retail outlets in the northern and southern regions of Wisconsin and Minnesota. A total of 98 retail cheese curd samples were tested for MAP by PCR prescreen, culture on Herrold's egg yolk agar slants with mycobactin J and amphoteracin B, naladixic acid, and vancomycin, and slant rinse PCR using IS900 and hspX primer sets. Although no viable MAP were able to be cultured, 5% of the samples were PCR positive with both the IS900 and hspX primer sets (MAP-specific DNA) when prescreened and 1% of the samples were PCR positive with both the IS900 and hspX primer sets when culture slants were rinsed and tested.