Listeria monocytogenes in Crohn's disease.
BACKGROUND
In an immunohistochemical study a higher rate of reactivity of intestinal tissues to the antibody against Listeria monocytogenes was reported in Crohn's disease as compared with controls.


METHODS
Seventy-six intestinal tissues, either therapeutically resected or biopsied, from 31 patients with Crohn's disease, 20 with ulcerative colitis, and 21 with non-inflammatory bowel disease were studied. DNA extracted from intestinal tissues by proteinase K treatment was used for nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using two sets of primers. PCR products were analyzed with agarose gel electrophoresis and subsequent Southern blot analysis.


RESULTS
Our amplification system could detect 9 pg of L. monocytogenes DNA. L. monocytogenes was detected in only one sample, that from a patient with ulcerative colitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study does not support the etiologic significance of L. monocytogenes in Crohn's disease.
Chiba
M
M
First Dept. of Internal Medicine, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita City, Japan.
Fukushima
T
T
Inoue
S
S
Horie
Y
Y
Iizuka
M
M
Masamune
O
O
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000382:microbiology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction