title: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and its relationship with Crohn's disease.
abstract: The hypothesis postulating that Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) is the cause of Crohn's disease (CD) has been circulating for many years. Advances in molecular techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction and culture methods, have enabled researchers to demonstrate that there is an association between MAP and CD. Recently, genome-wide association studies have identified novel susceptibility genes for CD, which are critical for generation of an adaptive immune response that is protective against intracellular pathogens, including M. tuberculosis infection. However, the role of MAP as a cause of CD suffered a setback with the report that administration of antimycobacterial therapy failed to lead to a sustained response in CD patients. Accordingly, this review sought neither to confirm nor refute this, but instead to survey recent literature on the role of MAP in CD.
authors.affiliation: Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense, Madrid 28040, Spain. jmendozah@meditex.es
authors.forename: Juan Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lana
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz-Rubio
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein / Q000235:genetics; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C429018:NOD2 protein, human; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein