High prevalence of viable Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in Crohn's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the detection rate of viable Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease [Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)].


METHODS
Thirty patients with CD (15 with at least one NOD2/CARD15 mutation), 29 with UC, and 10 with no inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). were tested for MAP by polymerase chain reaction (specific IS900 fragment) and blood culture.


RESULTS
MAP DNA was detected in all original blood samples and 8-wk blood cultures (CD, UC and non-IBD). Positive MAP DNA status was confirmed by dot blot assays. All 69 cultures were negative by acid-fast Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Viable MAP, in spheroplast form, was isolated from the 18-mo blood cultures of all 30 CD patients, one UC patient, and none of the non-IBD controls. No association was found between positive MAP cultures and use of immunosuppressive drugs or CD-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms.


CONCLUSIONS
MAP is widely present in our area and MAP DNA can be recovered from the blood of CD, UC and non-IBD patients. However, MAP spheroplasts were only found in CD patients.
Mendoza
Juan L
JL
Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Martin Lagos s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. jmendozah@meditex.es
San-Pedro
Amparo
A
Culebras
Esther
E
Cíes
Raquel
R
Taxonera
Carlos
C
Lana
Raquel
R
Urcelay
Elena
E
de la Torre
Fernando
F
Picazo
Juan J
JJ
Díaz-Rubio
Manuel
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C429018:NOD2 protein, human; D053473:Nod2 Signaling Adaptor Protein