Dr. Chamberlin is a gastroenterologist at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Texas. In his second presentation, he outlines why he believes that Crohn’s disease is both a disease of immune deficiency and also an infectious disease. The immune system is reviewed, differences in the innate and adaptive immune system are discussed, and genetic mutations which allow MAP to take advantage of certain immune pathways are detailed. Compounds which may stimulate autophagy like turmeric and Vitamin D are discussed. A Q&A session follows the presentation.
2017 MAP Conference | Implication of MAP Infection in Cattle with Implications for Infection in Humans
Appearing by WebEx at the conference, Dr. Davis is a researcher and professor in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology at Washington State University. Here, he summarizes the findings from his 27 year MAP study and provides an update on his progress in developing a cattle vaccine for MAP that may have insights into human MAP as well.
2017 MAP Conference | MAP, Type 1 Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis. What is the Connection?
Appearing at the conference via Webex, Dr. Sechi is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is an island with some of the highest rates of autoimmune diseases in the world. MAP is commonly found in their ruminant population as well. Dr. Sechi’s research shows significantly higher rates of MAP in patients with autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and Type 1 Diabetes. He presents some of that research here, and discusses a mechanism for MAP infection in these diseases which may differ than that in Crohn’s disease. Questions from the audience follow the presentation.
2017 MAP Conference | The Pathogenesis of Crohn’s Disease
Dr. Monif, the President of Infectious Disease Incorporated, presents his proposed mechanism on how MAP causes Crohn’s disease. Two factors: infection by MAP and subsequent loss of immunological tolerance, and repeated exposure to and adherence of MAP, combine to produce disease. A hypothetical debate between Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur about whether MAP is the cause of Crohn’s disease delves into the proof issues.
2017 MAP Conference | Cross-reactivity of Antibodies Against Microbial Proteins to Human Tissues as a Basis for Crohn’s Disease
Dr. Zhang is a pathologist and co-founder of PZM Diagnostics, a company which is testing the blood from potential Crohn’s patients for the presence of MAP. He details his research here, which includes rarely finding MAP in culture or PCR, but detecting the presence of other bacterial DNA in blood samples. Antibodies to MAP in were found in greater than 70% of patients. Sjogren syndrome antibody levels are discussed as well as cross reaction to human proteins and a proposed mechanism of disease.
2017 MAP Conference | Q&A Videos
The following videos are the questions from the audience after each of the primary presentations from the 2017 MAP Conference. The audio is sometimes unclear, and has been adjusted when possible. Some of the Q&A sessions are included at the end of the speaker’s primary presentation, and are therefore not included here. The Q&A videos below can also be found under each individual speaker’s presentation page. They are compiled in this format for the ease of our viewers.
2017 MAP Conference Interviews
The following videos are additional interviews that Human Para and Majestic Plural Studios conducted with some of the presenters. These videos can also be found under each individual speaker’s presentation page. They are compiled here for the ease of the viewers.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
On my way home from the 2017 MAP Conference in Philadelphia, I had to drive through a tunnel which ran underneath a mountain. Tunnels have always made me a little nervous due the confinement, but I relaxed as I saw daylight coming from a small hole on the other side. As I focused on getting to the light, it occurred to me that this tunnel was a great representation of my journey with Crohn’s disease. For so many years I moved forward through life in the confinement of disease. Darkness was my companion, and I felt alone and different from those around me. But as my body healed on antibiotic therapy, I came back into the light of living a full and joyful life free of chronic disease.
Grow Your Own Doctor
The following article was provided to Human Paratuberculosis Foundation by Dr. Judith Lipton. It was written in May 2015, but still remains relevant today. It is an excellent overview of MAP, and provides practical advice for patients who want to convince their doctor to treat their MAP infection. HPF is grateful to Dr. Lipton for her contributions to the field and for providing this helpful article.
UPDATE: 2017 MAP Conference
UPDATE: On March 24-25, 2017, MAP researchers and doctors from around the world will gather in Philadelphia, PA to share presentations and discuss how best to advance MAP science. Read the latest update about the Goals of the meeting, Discussion Topics, and Presenters list. Additionally, the latest sponsorship details are announced.