G. Lisby et al., MYCOBACTERIUM-PARATUBERCULOSIS IN INTESTINAL TISSUE FROM PATIENTS WITH CROHNS-DISEASE DEMONSTRATED BY A NESTED PRIMER POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION, Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology, 29(10), 1994, pp. 923-929
Background: The etiology of Crohn's disease remains unknown, but curre
nt research has concentrated on autoimmunity and/or mycobacterial infe
ction. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables the detection of ge
netic material even when very few microorganisms are present. Methods:
A nested primer PCR for detection of a multi-copy insertional element
(IS900) specific for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was applied to DN
A extracted from fresh and from paraffin-embedded intestinal tissue ob
tained from patients undergoing surgery. Results: In fresh intestinal
tissue from 11 of 24 patients with Crohn's disease, from 2 of 10 patie
nts with ulcerative colitis, and from 3 of 28 patients with other colo
nic disorders, specific M. paratuberculosis DNA was found. In paraffin
-embedded Crohn's disease tissue the presence of specific M. paratuber
culosis DNA was also increased. Conclusions: Whether the presence of M
. paratuberculosis is connected to the inflammatory bowel disease or i
s a mere coincidence cannot be stated. We find this presence interesti
ng and encouraging for further investigations.