Experimental disease in infant goats induced by aMycobacterium isolated from a patient with Crohn's disease

Abstract

Pilot studies were done to assess the pathogenicity of a Mycobacterium which had been recovered from the diseased ileum of a patient with Crohn's disease. In four separate studies, pairs of infant goats served as subjects. One of each pair received an oral inoculum of freshly harvested Mycobacterium species strain Linda suspended in cream. A littermate or stablemate which received only cream served as control. Necropsies were done at three, five, six, and 10 months postinoculation. Each of the four inoculated animals developed segmental granulomatous disease of the ileum or ileum and more proximal segments of small intestine, and regional lymph nodes. The earliest lesion occurred in Peyer's patches of the ileum and consisted of granulomatous clusters of epithelioid cells and giant cells, without caseation, which often occurred in a mantle of lymphocytes between the germinal centers and the muscularis mucosae. Nine of 10 such granulomas were free of acid-fast bacilli. In more advanced lesions, there was confluence of granulomas and ulceration of the mucosal surface. Two of the four inoculated animals also had lymphocytic lymphangitis in affected segments. Although the Mycobacterium Linda was recovered from intestinal segments of all four animals, acid-fast bacteria were not demonstrable in the intestines in two of them. Control animals remained free of lesions and acid-fast bacilli and were negative by bacteriologic culture. The Mycobacterium species strain Linda represents an enteric pathogen capable of inducing granulomas of the distal small intestine of susceptible species. The lesions produced have distinct similarities to those occurring in Crohn's disease.

The transmission and impact of paratuberculosis infection in domestic and wild ruminants

“…Later subsequent studies demonstrated that the isolates were genetically identical to strains of M. paratuberculosis originated from cattle, and were able to develop paratuberculosis after oral administration to infant goats (Van Kruiningen et al, 1986). Similar isolation of the organism from Crohn's disease patients was described by Chiodini (1989), Pavlík et al (1994), and Thompson (1994).…”

Detection ofMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisin Retail Cheeses from Greece and the Czech Republic

“…Animals may shed M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in their milk, even during subclinical infection (12,25), and human exposure to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis through dairy products has become an issue of concern, despite the fact that there is no conclusive evidence to support association of this pathogen with Crohn's disease (9,10).…”

Serum Antibodies to Peptidoglycan-Polysaccharide Complexes from the Anaerobic Intestinal Flora in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

“…A role for bacterial antigens in the development of the disease was suggested [ 12,13]. Slow growing strains of Mycobacterium have been impli cated for the pathogenesis of CD [14][15][16], recently supported by a study of Gitnick et al [17]. Two other studies, however, did not confirm this view [18,19].…”