The Crohnie

The abstracts from the Ninth International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis (9ICP), which I attended in Tsukuba, Japan, have been published online.

As with previous ICP, the number of papers presented on the relationship between Crohn’s Disease and Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis has grown, as knowledge of this complex organism and its potential to cause disease in humans, has grown.

The list of 9ICP presentations in the “Public Health” segment of the Colloquium are listed here

http://www.paratuberculosis.org/pubs/proc9/section6.htm

As acceptance of the relationship between MAP and CD grows, related papers are now being presented outside of the dedicated “Public Health” segment. The following paper discusses how the pathogenetic mechanisms of paratuberculosis in Johnes Disease and Crohn’s Disease can be compared in order to increase understanding of both; it was presented in the “Pathogenesis and Immunology” segment.

Role of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease
http://www.paratuberculosis.org/pubs/proc9/abst4a.htm

Also of interest is the growing evidence that Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis may be a cause of Type-1 diabetes.

Association of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis with Type-1 diabetes, a possible trigger
http://www.paratuberculosis.org/pubs/proc9/abst181f_o3.htm

Paratuberculosis and Type I Diabetes -Mapping the TRIGR-
http://www.paratuberculosis.org/pubs/proc8/abst3b_o20.htm

An interesting new piece of research about the genetics of Crohn’s Disease Diabetes and other diseases.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7145/pdf/nature05911.pdf

I note that one of the gene patterns associated with Crohn’s relates to “autophagy”, an innate immunity mechanism which the body uses to defend itself against intracellular bacterial pathogens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autophagy

“”"
The study has also confirmed the importance of a process known as autophagy in the development of Crohn’s disease. Autophagy, or “self eating”, is responsible for clearing unwanted material, such as bacteria, from within cells. The may be key to the interaction of gut bacteria in health and in inflammatory bowel disease and could have clinical significance in the future.
“”"

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=73420

“”"
One of the newly identified genes, called ATG16L1, has been thought to be required for autophagy, a process that leads to programmed cell death and is involved in the process of inflammation. When the research team used RNA interference to suppress the gene’s activity in bacterially infected cells, decreased molecular action associated with autophagy confirmed that the process depends on ATG16L1 activity.
“”"

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070415160159.htm

Autophagy is one of the most important defenses against the class of intracellular bacterial pathogens known as mycobacteria. One of the most studied organisms in relation to autophagy is mycobacterium tuberculosis

Autophagy in Immune Defense Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/autophagy/article/2830

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is another intracellular obligate pathogen with which autophagy would be a key defense mechanism.

So it is no surprise to me that recent results indicate a defective autophagy process in Crohn’s Disease; this lends further weight to the theory that Mycobacerium paratuberculosis is a cause of Crohn’s Disease.