FOUNDERS: Diane and Michael Fagen

Contact Info: dianef84@yahoo.com

Introduction

Our Mission and our Goals

The Precautionary Principle

What is a Reportable Disease

List of Reportable Diseases and REGULATIONS PRESCRIBING CERTAIN DISEASES AS REPORTABLE DISEASES

Public Health Act

My Blog

Links

ree Republic/News Activism/Topics - Post Article

Research

La Presse,  April 8, 2001,  Never in My Milk? by Marie France Coutu

The Canadian Media

Canadian Medical and Government

Canadian Veterinary

CTV News Report, September  4th, 2001, Researchers Link Cow's Milk to Crohn's Disease

Let's Talk

Taking Action

The Message Board

Link To Us

Does Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis cause Crohn's disease by Alan Kennedy  

(PARA) PARATUBERCULOSIS AWARENESS & RESEARCH ASS.,INC

International Ass. for Paratuberculosis Copyright © 1999-2001

Crohn's Disease Info Center by Dr. Ira Shafran

The Johne's Information Center

History of Early Research on Crohn's disease

Regional Ileitis by Dr. B. Crohn

Got Milk? by Michael Greger, MD Updated January 2001

THE CROHN'S CONNECTION  by Lisa Chamberlain

Dire Warnings About Johne’s
Disease A wake-up call for the dairy industry? January 1998, University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Chiodini's Tables

American and European Links

University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine

Crohn's Family Support Group

ACTION RESEARCH

Canadian Animal CAHNet Health Network

Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network

FOOD STANDARDS ASSOCIATION

IBD Forum

University of Guelph

NACC

Founded September, 2001 updated, July 13, 2008

Discussion Forum

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Diane Fagen and I founded Map-Canada in 2001. My late husband, Michael Fagen suffered from Crohn's since 1977. He had 5 surgeries and many admissions, because of crohn's disease. Since that time I have spent endless hours trying to bring awareness of the link between Johne's disease in cattle and and Crohn's disease in humans. There has been article after article published by very dedicated researcher's around the world, but to no avail, here in Canada it has been very slow going. Granted the Canadian government is very well aware of the problem with mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, but for some reason or other, probably politics, the pasteurization process in milk has not changed and even if Canadian's did have access to the R.M.A.T. treatment, ( a combination of 3 or 4 antibiotics) and did go into remission, they would be reinfected, as the bacterium is still in our foodchain.

I have a request of you, I need to hear from you, I need your feedback and your ideas. Would you please Post a comment on the Crohnscanada Discussion Forum. Thank you so much, Diane

July 8, 2008: AFTER WATCHING THIS CLIP, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS TO THE LINK BELOW: THE NATIONAL: HEALTH/EDUCATION ----Cattle and Crohn's Connection? July 7, 2008 (Runs 6:39) Scientists say bacteria that cause wasting disease in cattle may be in our food. But does it cause disease, specifically Crohn's Disease, in humans? To watch this clip just click on any line in this message

Empowered Doctor: Crohn's disease and Cow's milk video from the University of Liverpool Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that a bacteria present in cow's milk called Mycobacterium paratubuerculosis releases a molecule that prevents a type of white blood cell from killing E.coli bacteria found in the body. E.coli is known to be present in increased numbers within tissue affected by Crohn's disease. It is believed that Mycobacteria are introduced into the body via cows' milk and other dairy products. Until recently, it has been unclear how this bacterium could trigger intestinal inflammation in humans.

Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher God's Call to Loving Arms What you don't know about the drugs in your medicine cabinet can't only hurt you... it could kill you! by Gwen Olsen

You Tube: "Lacasastudios" New videos of John Hermon Taylor's latest Interview

Part 1 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 2 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 3 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor.

Part 4 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 5 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 6 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 7 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 8 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 9 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

Part 10 CROHN Vs M.A.P. Interview John Hermon Taylor

You Tube:

Trailer Professor John Hermon Taylor CROHN vs M.A.P.

Part 1-CROHN M.A.P. by John Hermon Taylor

Part 2-CROHN M.A.P. by John Hermon Taylor

Part 3-CROHN M.A.P. by John Hermon Taylor

Part 4-CROHN M.A.P. by John Hermon Taylor

Part 5-CROHN M.A.P. by John Hermon Taylor

Breaking News: Washington Post: WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The controversial multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri can start causing liver damage within six days of the first dose, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. In January, the expanded the use of Tysabri to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the digest

The Evidence for Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis in Crohn's Disease Posted 01/14/2008 Marcel A. Behr; Vivek Kapur Abstract Purpose of review: Though long hypothesized, the putative link between Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis and Crohn's disease remains neither confirmed nor refuted. This article reviews published contributions that directly or indirectly address this question.

Author Information Marcel A. Behra and Vivek Kapurb aDepartment of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada bDepartment of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and the Huck Institute, Penn State, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA Disclosure: M.B. has no conflict of interest or commercial association that may pose a conflict of interest. V.K. has a financial conflict of interest that results from issued and pending patents on M. avium paratuberculosis DNA sequences uncovered during the genome sequencing project, and the licensing of this intellectual to ANDX, Inc., a University of Minnesota based start-up company for which VK is a co-founder and stock-owner. The issued patents and pending applications are jointly owned by the University of Minnesota and the US Department of Agriculture

QUEBEC: AGRICULTURES, PECHERIES ET ALIMENTATION translated

RESEAU D'ALERTS ET DINFORMATION ZOOSANITAIRE - RAIZO translated

REVUE D'EPIDEMIOSURVEILLANCE ANIMALE DU RAIZO: BILAN 2006, Page 26, first column, 5th paragraph, PARATUBERCULOSE translated

From Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics:

The Diagnosis and Management of Crohn's Disease in Populations With High-Risk Rates for Tuberculosis Posted 07/17/2007 D. Epstein; G. Watermeyer; R. Kirsch /Summary Background: Distinguishing Crohn's disease from intestinal tuberculosis in endemic areas is challenging as both conditions have overlapping clinical, radiological, endoscopic and histological characteristics. Furthermore, high rates of latent tuberculosis confer a considerable risk of reactivation once therapy for established Crohn's disease is started

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!

GIACONDA LTD; Giaconda Signs Agreement to Take Myoconda® to Market in Europe Sydney, Australia 19 September 2007. Giaconda Ltd (ASX: GIA) today announced that it has entered a cooperative development agreement with Prague Clinical Services, s.r.o. of the Czech Republic to further the development of its lead product, Myoconda®, for the treatment of MAP infection in Crohn’s Disease. Under the terms of the agreement Giaconda and Prague Clinical Services will collaborate to complete a Phase III clinical study across Europe as well as regulatory development on Myoconda to enable registration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK.

THE PROOF IS MOUNTING!!!: Read about the link between Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and E. Coli

Winnipeg Free Press: Centre eyes data on bowel disease Sat Jul 28 2007 By Dr. Charles Bernstein 1. Through updating our analysis and applying the definition, we developed databases in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. These databases helped us estimate that in 2005 there were approximately 7,000 Manitobans and 170,000 Canadians with either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. This rate is among the highest reported in the world.

2), Recently, a collaboration between our centre and Dr. Denis Krause of the Faculty of Animal Sciences, University of Manitoba, discovered a novel type of E. coli more associated with IBD than healthy controls. If it can be proved that an excess of this E. coli is truly associated with either form of IBD, then specific therapies can be developed.

3). We have found that tissues from IBD patients carry a type of bug known as E coli that is different than usual E coli that are widely known to be in the environment. The E coli IBD patients carry is more toxic to the gut because it releases enzymes that can injure the bowel. Our group is actively pursuing the possibility that this E coli is an important cause of either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

U.K. Daily Mail: December 13, 2007: Milk bug 'stops our bodies from fighting off Crohn's disease' Doctors have long claimed that a bug called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (MAP), which is found in cattle and some milk, causes Crohn's. But the dairy industry has never accepted the link and researchers had failed to prove a connection. Now scientists at Liverpool University have identified how MAP weakens the body's defence mechanism and so allows other harmful bugs, specifically e.coli, to thrive. This e.coli, which is known to be present within Crohn's disease tissue in increased amounts, is believed to cause inflammation and sickness

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY: December 11, 2007: Bacteria In Cows' Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease

GASTROENTEROLOGY November 2007: Microbial Mannan Inhibits Bacterial Killing By Macrophages: A Possible Pathogenic Mechanism for Crohn's Disease: Background & Aims: Crohn’s disease (CD) is mimicked by inherited phagocyte disorders and is associated with circulating antibodies against yeast mannan (anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody; ASCA). We speculated that mannans might impair phagocyte function. Methods: S cerevisiae mannan was assessed for its effects on human peripheral blood neutrophils, adherent monocytes, and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). Results: Mannan caused dose-related increased survival of CD Escherichia coli HM605 within adherent monocytes from 24%
10.5% (control) to 114%
22.7% with mannan 1 mg/mL at 2 hours (mean
SEM, n  9; P  .0002).

08/07/07 -- ITHACA, N.Y: E. coli Bacteria Linked to Crohn's Disease: A team of Cornell University scientists from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have discovered that a novel group of E. coli bacteria containing genes similar to those described in uropathogenic and avian pathogenic E. coli and enteropathogenic bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, bubonic plague is associated with intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease in their research paper published July 12 by "The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology." The study found an increased level of *E. coli bacteria in more inflamed areas of the small intestines instead of MAP, a bacterium related to tubercle bacillus that has been more commonly associated with Crohn's*.

ASCA test is commercially available! In November 1998 issue of American Journal of Gastroenterology under “What's New in GI” R. L. Young reviewed a paper on ASCA marker in Crohn’s disease (1). There has been a surge of papers in the past six months (1-3) confirming that Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan antibodies (ASCA) should be considered as a significant diagnostic tool.

The Truro Daily News, November 23, 2007: Crohn's disease incidence high in Canada Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). More than 170,000 Canadians have some form of Crohn’s or colitis. Canada is believed to have one of the highest incidence rates of the disease in the world.

The Financial Post, January 14, 2008: FDA Approves TYSABRI® for the Treatment of Moderate-to-Severe Crohn’s Disease: Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today announced the approval of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for TYSABRI® (natalizumab). TYSABRI is now approved for inducing and maintaining clinical response and remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) with evidence of inflammation who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, conventional CD therapies and inhibitors of TNF-alpha.

CLOFAZAMINE

Special Access to Drugs and Health Products

Health Canada, through its Special Access Programme (SAP), allows doctors to gain access to non-marketed drugs and medical devices that have not yet been approved for sale in Canada. Health Canada is conducting a Comprehensive Review of the SAP and is soliciting the participation of all interested Canadians. Special Access Request Form/Instructions for completing the Special Access Request Form

Novartis Patient Assistance Program for U.S. residents. The patient must meet the following criteria to qualify: Must be a U.S. Resident. Has no health insurance or prescription coverage. Not eligible for Medicaid, ADAP, or other drug assistance programs. Income eligiblity evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Must provide proof of income.

CROHN'S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION OF CANADA: Research Scientist Award

These scientists will play a key leadership role in the development of world-class IBD research in Canada, with protected time for their research and an opportunity to mentor junior investigators and promote collaboration with others in the field.

Dr. C. Bernstein University of Manitoba 2006-2011

Dr. Wallace MacNaughton University of Calgary 2006-2011

Dr. Karen Madsen University of Alberta 2006-2011

Dr. Stephen Vanner Queen's University 2006-2011

Breaking News and Publications:

PCC Sound Consumer Health & Wellness - Expert advice:

Conquering Crohn’s disease by Judith Lipton, M.D." I believe that if the public becomes aware of MAP and demands testing and answers, the meat, dairy and medical industries will have no choice but to respond. Public health measures such as ultrapasteurization, animal vaccination and sanitation may prevent an increasing Crohn’s epidemic, and antibiotics and vaccination a definitive treatment." Dr. Lipton is a psychiatrist at Providence Hospital in Seattle. Doctor Lipton was diagnosed with crohn's disease in March 2004. She is presently crohn's free, due to a four antibiotic combination, as well as vast amounts of probiotics. Please read her story for additional information. http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/0509/sc0509-hw-crohns.html

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

One of the award recipients, Charles Bernstein FRCPC, has created a population-based database to provide incidence and prevalence rates of IBD in Manitoba. He is also investigating Mycobacterium paratuberculosis as a potential cause of Crohn's disease. Future research will include studies of the potential causes of IBD, and collaboration on provincial database projects to assess IBD incidence and prevalence in Canada

July 25, 2006: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Human Affairs:

Recent evidence shows the disease is more widely spread than 15 years ago due to increased animal movement from herd to herd and larger herd sizes. If infection is spreading into more herds where it can spread to more cows, JD's impact may be on the rise. JD-infected cows, even though not obviously sick, have reduced milk production and a shorter herd life over time. Another cause for concern is that the organism causing JD in cows is increasingly being studied for a possible link to Crohn's disease in people. While this association and the possibility that milk could expose people to infection are unproven, we need to nip this in the bud by curtailing the spread of infection among dairy cattle.

A Novel Multi-Antegen Virally Vectored Vaccine Against Mycobacteriaum avium Subspecies paratuberculosis

alt.support.crohns-colitis newsgroup : Posts by Alan Kennedy

GASTROENTEROLOGY November 2007: Microbial Mannan Inhibits Bacterial Killing By Macrophages: A Possible Pathogenic Mechanism for Crohn's Disease

Journal of Clinical Microbiology: Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Infection in Cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and with Comparison with Crohn's Disease and Johne's Disease: Common Neural and Immune Pathogenicities

A New Paradigm For Crohn's Disease: A Call to Action

Mcgill University Center: Visualization of Mycobacterium avium in Crohn's tissue by Oil-Immersion Microscopy

Mcgill University Center: The Evidence for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in Crohn's Disease, by Marcel Behr M.D. and Vivek Kapur

International Journal of Infectious Diseases: Presence of characterization of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis from clinical and suspected cases of crohn's disease and in the healthy human population in India

American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium: Mycobacterium avium Paratuberculosis: Infrequent human pathogen or Public Health Threat?

Anti-mycobacterial in Crohn's disease heals mucosa with longitudinal scars

The Scotsman Newpaper: Crohn's disease vaccine breakthrough announced KURT BAYER

LANDMARK CROHN'S DISEASE STUDY by Warwick Selby

Koch's Postulates have been met. Please read.

As you read the following articles, the connection between Johne's disease in cattle and Crohn's disease in humans will become very clear.

The evidence below is really very disturbing, Dr. Kennedy Dalziel, a Crohn's surgeon recognized in 1913, the similarity between Johne's disease in cattle and crohn's disease in humans. Quoting his words" Dr. Dalziel pointed out in his paper that though to the naked eye the diseases were identical, the lack of bacilli made them very different." In otherwords the only difference was the fact that he could not see the bacilli in humans as he could in cattle.

Once again in 1932. Dr. Burrill Bernard Crohn also believed that the two diseases, Johne's in cattle and Crohn's in humans were caused by the same pathogen, but he was unable to isolate the pathogen, as Mycobacterium paratuberculosis sheds its cellular in humans and takes the form of a spheroplast.

Considering in 1913, Dr. Kennedy Dalziel and Dr. Burrill Crohn in 1932 could not see this pathogen, called mycobacterium paratuberculosis, due to the lack of technology,. Dr Dalziel and Dr. Crohn could not possibly have met the criteria for Koch's postulates, hence, Dr. Crohn ruled crohn's an autoimmune disease, not an infectious one.

In 1984, a microbiologist, Dr. Rodrick Chiodini, demonstrated that mycobacterium . paratuberculosis sheds its cell wall in humans, and takes a new form, called a spheroblast. In a landmark study, Dr. Chiodini cultured Mycobacteria from children infected with Crohn's.

Since that time, many renowned crohn's researchers have isolated and grown the same bacterium, mycobacterium paratuberculosis, and over the years doctors have met Koch's Postulates over, and over again. Now the question is, when is this situation going to be resolved. When is this crisis going to be put on the front burner.

Millions of people are suffering everyday. They wake up every morning and have to struggle through another day. , Please email me at dianef84@yahoo.com, please help!!!

The Government is there, because we put it there, we have to wake them up. Pressure is the only way. Our Government has to know that we want something done, or nothing will get done.

PLEASE READ THE ARTICLES BELOW, AS THEY RELATE TO THE ABOVE NOTE:

Koch's Postulates

Koch was one of the original researchers into tuberculosis, in the 19th century. In an attempt to define what an infectious disease actually is, he formulated his famous postulates, which now bears his name.

Basically, if

1. An organism can be isolated from a host suffering from the disease and

2. The organism can be cultured in the laboratory and

3. The organism causes the same disease when introduced into another host and

4. The organism can be re-isolated from that host then

The organism is the cause of the disease and the disease is an infectious disease. There is an implicit assumption in step three, namely that the other host must have a genetic make-up that causes it to react to the organism in the same way as the original host. Also, these steps do not apply to all infectious disease. Notably, the bacterium causing leprosy, Mycobacterium leprae, cannot be cultured in the laboratory. However, leprosy is still recognised as an infectious disease. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: http://alan.kennedy.name/crohns/PRIMER/koch.htm This page written and maintained by Alan Kennedy Follow this link to the top level page. Related Information -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Bacteria of Medical Importance

The First Diagnosis

In 1913, Dr. Kennedy Dalziel recognized and classified the identifying symptoms that make Crohn's a unique diagnosis. Having witnessed the debilitating affect on many of his patients, the Scottish surgeon searched for a cause and found none. Dr. Dalziel noticed a similarity in his patients' complaints to that of a disease discovered in cattle in 1895 by a German doctor named H.A. Johne (pronounced yo-neez). The cattle disease, called Johne's disease, was different from the human patients in that there were found acid-fast bacilli, or bacteria, known to cause the symptoms. Dr. Dalziel pointed out in his paper that though to the naked eye the diseases were identical, the lack of bacilli made them very different. "In many cases the absence of acid-fast bacilli would suggest a clear distinction, but the histological characters are so similar as to justify a proposition that the disease may be the same." Though he was never able to find the etiology of the disease, he fully expected that it would soon be forthcoming. http://www.crohnshelp.com/disease/crohnshistory.htm . To read the entire article please go to CrohnsHelp

Burrill Bernard Crohn

In 1932, Dr. Crohn and his two colleagues, Dr. Leon Ginzburg and Dr. Gordon D. Oppenheimer, published an important paper describing the features of the then relatively unknown condition. They described fourteen cases, characterizing Crohn's disease as "Terminal Ileitis: A new clinical entity"; the description was changed to "Regional ileitis" on publication. It is by virtue of alphabetization rather than contribution that Crohn's name appeared as first author: because this was the first time the condition was reported in a widely-read journal, and the disease has come to be known as Crohn's Disease for reasons of publicity rather than precedence.

At the time he described the disease, Crohn was a practitioner and usually admitted his patients to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for their operations. Crohn gradually became more attached to the Mount Sinai Hospital, where he worked with the neurologist Bernard Sachs (1858-1944). There he soon built a very large and successful reception for patients with granulomatous enterocolitis and eventually was made chief of the department of gastroenterology. As such he was highly respected through all of his professional career and received numerous patients from all over the USA, some even from Europe.

Some of his initial research into the causes of the disease was centered around his personal conviction that it was caused by the same pathogen, a bacterium called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, responsible for the similar condition that afflicts cattle called Johne's disease. However he was unable to isolate the pathogen (most likely due to the fact that M. paratuberculosis sheds its cellular wall in humans and takes the form of a spheroplast, making it virtually undetectable under optical microscope).

ASM NEWS:

Microbes and Emerging Infections: the Compulsion To Become Something New Microbiologists are advised to respect Koch's postulates while surveying for emerging and reemerging agents of infectious disease Richard M. Krause

A Review of the Evidence for a Link between Exposure to Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis (MAP) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) in Humans

WORLDNET DAILY Crohn's disease, sick cows and contaminated milk by Chris Bennett

Crohn's was unknown until the early 1900s when two very similar diseases were described: one in domestic animals called Johne's disease and one in humans named after the physician who first wrote about it, Dr. Burrill Crohn. Dr. H.A. Johne was the first to describe the disease in cattle. What became know as Johne's disease is characterized by profuse and intractable diarrhea, severe weight loss and diagnostic changes in the lining of the small intestine. In diseased cattle, the intestine has so many ulcers, the surface of the intestines, normally smooth, is described as having a cobblestone appearance. Untreated Crohn's disease is also characterized by profuse and intractable diarrhea, severe weight loss and diagnostic changes in the lining of the small intestine. In diseased humans, the intestines are also described as having a cobblestone appearance.

By the 1930s, Johne's disease was found to be caused by an odd bacteria named Mycobacteria paratuberculosis. This organism is in the same family with bacteria which cause tuberculosis and leprosy. M. paratuberculosis produces disease by over stimulating the immune system. The bacterium lives inside the cells of the host, where it divides only once about every 2 to 12 hours. (By way of contrast, the bacteria in the gut divides about once every 20 minutes.) There are no toxins or poisons produced by the bacteria. Disease happens when the immune system recognizes the "foreign" proteins of the bacteria, even inside a living cell and mounts a furious attack. The immune "attack" focuses on the infected cells in the mucosal layer of the digestive system. Massive inflammation results, as well as ulcers, diarrhea and weight loss. The disease is known to pass from cow to calf, as infected cows shed millions of active bacteria into their milk. The infected animals also pass the infection to healthy animals by food contaminated by diarrhea. Factory farming methods where larger and larger herds are grazed on smaller and smaller plots of land further increase the potential for infection. Infected animals are known to lose over 300 pounds per week, mostly from massive diarrhea. Fecal material from infected cows contain as much as 1 trillion bacteria per gram. Infected cows spray fecal material everywhere, including over their udders and on nearby cows where the material contaminates milk.

Infected cows also pass the bacteria directly into milk in millions of bacteria per gram. Sadly, in today's factory farms, milk from sick cows and milk from healthy cows is pooled together and then trucked to the milk processor, where it is piped into cartons and then sold at the local market. A 1997 USDA study showed that that the number of herds infected is increasing, and that at least 20 percent – and as many as 40 percent – of U.S. dairy herds were positive for M. paratuberculosis. Interestingly, the incidence of Crohn's disease is also increasing, at roughly the same rate as Johne's. The United States now has the highest incidence (new cases) of Crohn's disease in the world. M. paratuberculosis and Crohn's disease

In the 1930s and 40s, Dr. Crohn was convinced that the human disease was virtually the same as the disease in cattle. But despite repeated trials, he couldn't isolate m. paratuberculosis from human tissue. Also, the bacteria could not be detected in diseased human tissue using a light microscope. In cattle, the bacteria grows a special cell wall which is easily stained and readily visible in microscopy. In infected cattle, researchers could see swarms of bacteria under the microscope. In humans, they could see none. Even though the progress of the two diseases was extraordinarily similar, without an organism they could either see or culture, Dr. Crohn and other researchers were forced to conclude that the Crohn's disease was caused by an unknown autoimmune process.

The mystery was resolved in 1984, when a microbiologist at Brown's University, Dr. Rodrick Chiodini, demonstrated that m. paratuberculosis sheds its cell wall in humans, and takes a new form, called a spheroblast. In a landmark study, Dr. Chiodini cultured Mycobacteria from children infected with Crohn's. Dr. Chiodini's effort was extraordinary. Mycobacteria are very difficult to cultivate. Special media are required and months of incubation, since the organism divides only once or twice a day. M. paratuberculosis is in the same family with the organisms which causes leprosy and tuberculosis. In the case of Mycobacteria leprae, the organism which causes leprosy, the only way to grow the bacteria (believe it or not) is in the foot pads of a special species of mice or in the nine banded armadillo. It just won't grow in outside of a very narrow band of living hosts.

Even with the difficulties in cultivation, labs were able to isolate M. paratuberculosis from Crohn's patients in California, Texas, France, The Netherlands, Australia, England and the Czech Republic. In 1987, using DNA probes similar to the techniques used to identify forensic cases, researchers in England looked at tissue samples from Crohn's patients and compared them with patients with ulcerative colitis. Sixty-five percent of the samples from Crohn's patients were positive for m. paratuberculosis, compared with 4 percent of the control. Dr. Herman-Taylor, who led the research effort, was convinced at the time that with better lab technique, over 90 percent of the samples should have been positive.

In 2002, Dr. Herman-Taylor performed a similar survey, with a larger group of samples, and with improved lab techniques. This time, 92 percent of the samples from Crohn's patients were positive for M. paratuberculosis. Further establishing the causative link, M. paratuberculosis isolated from Crohn's patients was found to cause a similar disease when fed to farm animals. I wish I could report that the Food and Drug Administration, the USDA and the U.S. Animal Health Association is responding to the health implications of contaminated milk, but to date, there has been little funding and minimal response from agencies of the U.S. government, whose main responsibility is the health and welfare of its citizens. Despite convincing evidence (only a small portion is presented here), the agencies tasked with funding research and advocating disease treatment are essentially ignoring advocates for bacterial Crohn's, even while dramatic increases in the number of new cases are occurring, especially in those under 30, and a coincident increase in the number of very sick cows infected with paratuberculosis are seen in factory farms. To read the entire article please go to WorldNet Daily

Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research, 1991;55:199-202 entitled EXPERIMENTAL DISEASE IN YOUNG CHICKENS INDUCED BY A MYCOBACTERIUM PARATUBERCULOSIS ISOLATE FROM A PATIENT WITH CROHN’S DISEASE (H.J. Van Kruiningen, B. Ruiz and L. Gumprecht, Dept of Pathobiology, U. of Connecticut, Stoors, CN 06269):

They knew it all along! Here are some quotes from the late 1970's animal studies. They had consistently shown transmissibility and induction of chronic intestinal inflammation in animals inoculated with isolates from Crohn's patients and not in animals inoculated with isolates from Ulcerative Colitis or other GI diseases.

EARLY LESIONS OF RECURRENT CROHN’S DISEASE CAUSED BY INFUSION OF INTESTINAL CONTENTS IN EXCLUDED ILEUM

RISE IN CROHN'S DISASE

Over a Half a Million Persons May Have Crohn's Disease In The United States

HEALTH; Baffling Rise of Intestinal Disorder in the Young E-MAIL Print Save Share Del.icio.usDiggFacebookNewsvinePermalinkBy HAROLD M. SCHMECK JR., SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES Published: December 1, 1988

Reasons for Emergence Evolving ecology and changing human behavior, such as migration, recreation, work, and culture, influence human exposures to the infectious determinants of chronic as well as acute illnesses (1,2). Microbial virulence factors, wildlife behavioral traits, zoonotic infections, and the environment all converge to determine both the infectious capacity of potential pathogens and the likelihood of human exposure. Superimposed on human genetics and biology, the milieu shapes individual and population risk profiles for the causal infections agents and their chronic sequelae (7,14,21). Over recent years, the powerful tools of molecular biology, particularly PCR, plus advances in immunologic and other techniques, have exposed new causal links by detecting difficult-to-culture and novel agents in chronic disease settings. Microbes can now be irrefutably linked to pathology without meeting Koch's postulates, Hill's epidemiologic criteria, or even the revised criteria of Hill and Evans (22)

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation: Researchers Measure Rate of Crohn's and Colitis in Manitoba Spring 2000 Drs. C Bernstein; Blanshard J The Journal, CCFC

300% Rise in Crohn's Disease Is Linked to Cattle Sunday Mail, March 30, 2003 by MARION SCOTT EXCLUSIVE

SCIENTISTS have linked a rise in the number of young Scots with the devastating Crohn's Disease to contaminated milk

Paris: April 12, 2005: Inserm/Institut national de la sante et de la recherche medicale

The mysterious rise in crohn's disease cases in Northern countries

INCREASING EVIDENCE THAT CROHN'S MAY BE AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Centers for Disease Control: Potential Infectious Etiologies of Crohn's Disease

December 28, 2007 : Infectious Agents in Pediatric Crohn's This study has been completed. Objectives: Improve the methods to collect biopsies from the colon and ileum, tissue storage techniques and best methods to detect specific infections in children with Crohn's disease; Determine if there are specific infectious agents that are more common in children with Crohn's disease, and; Determine if there are types of children with Crohn's disease (e.g., children living in Boston, African American children) who may be more at risk for getting the infections

Occurrence of Crohn's disease in married couples Based on published disease prevalence data and number of married couples according to the latest census, researchers were able to calculate expected incidence, and conclude that the number is greater than expected by chance.

Clustering in Crohn's disease Aisenberg J; Janowitz HD Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, New York 10029. J Clin Gastroenterol, 1993 Jul, 17:1, 18-20

AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF CROHN’S DISEASE IN TWO FRENCH FAMILIES HJ Van Kruiningen, JF Colombel, RW Cartun, RH Whitlock, M Koopmans, HO Kangro, JA Hoogkamp-Korstanje, M Lecomte-Houcke, M Devred and JC Paris; Department of Pathobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs. Gastroenterology, Vol 104, 351-360, 1993

Studies supporting infectious etiology of Crohn's disease DIFFERENT INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY PATTERNS IN RELATIVES AND SPOUSES OF PATIENTS WITH CROHN’S DISEASE: AN INHERITED DEFECT IN MUCOSAL DEFENCE? J D Söderholm, G Olaison, E Lindberg, U Hannestad, A Vindels, C Tysk, G Järnerot, R Sjödahl. Gut 1999;44:96–100

Is it mildly communicable

ARCH GASTROENTEROHEPATOL 2000: 19 ( No 2 – 3 ):Female workforce participation, use of oral contraceptives, and the sex ratio of crohn's disease incidence

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