IS MYCOBACTERIUM-PARATUBERCULOSIS A POSSIBLE AGENT IN CROHNS-DISEASE - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DAIRY-INDUSTRY

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is the known cause of Johne's disease i n ruminants and is thought of as a possible agent of Crohn's disease i n humans. The organism may be shed in the milk of infected cattle thus if a link between M. paratuberculosis and Crohn's was ever establishe d or implicated it could have serious implications for the dairy indus try. Milk would be of particular interest as the pathogen has been sho wn to survive pasteurization and due to the properties of the organism , which have been mentioned, other dairy products such as ice-cream an d cheese may be a vector of transmission. Future research of the dairy industry such as that mentioned in the review is necessary and quite urgent to guard against a similar scare as the BSE crisis.