Welcome to The Crohn’s Infection on Facebook! Julie and Craig, the Site Administrators of TheCrohnsInfection.org, have created a private group to provide a social media outlet for those of you who wish to connect and discuss the information presented on our site. Please join us!
Dr. Tony Milici, GeneThera founder and CEO, announced his company’s expansion into the Crohn’s disease research field in a press release on January 25, 2016. GeneThera is dedicated to improving food safety by applying the latest molecular technologies to eradicate zoonotic diseases (those which cross from animals to the human population) such as Johne’s disease. Since it has long been thought that Johne’s disease, which is caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium avium spp paratuberculosis (MAP), has a zoonotic link to Crohn’s disease, GeneThera’s research could provide critically needed solutions.
Welcome to the first edition of The MAP Gap newsletter! The months since the August Chicago Symposium have flown by in a flurry of activity. We are happy to announce that TheCrohnsInfection.org will continue as a permanent site, not only to house the videos from the Chicago Symposium, but also to provide new information about the role of mycobacteria in Crohn’s disease.
2016 promises to be a year of discovery in this field. The Crohns Infection is dedicated to providing the most up-to-date information in our field to assist patients around the world in making informed decisions about their treatment. We are grateful for the support of this community and look forward to taking this journey together.
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It is now the end of 2015. For Crohn’s patients this year has been a time of great change. In the middle of the battle against this illness, there is some reason to hope.
In the midst of World War 2, Winston Churchill announced the change in fortunes for the British Empire, since the dark days of 1939, and instructed that the Church bells all over Britain be rung for the first time since the outbreak of the War. In his speech to the nation, he used the phrase: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Welcome to Part 2 of a review of the captivating book The Forgotten Plague: How the Battle Against Tuberculosis was Won – and Lost by Frank Ryan, M.D. In many ways this story parallels the struggle that is being waged against Crohn’s disease, though the death toll of tuberculosis was far greater. The research presented on this site points to the involvement of a mycobacterial species in Crohn’s disease, the same genus of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Therefore, the lessons learned in the battle against tuberculosis could have some applicability in the modern day war on Crohn’s disease. If you missed Part 1, you may want to give it a quick read before starting in on this concluding post.
Western culture tends to emphasize the importance of the individual more as an independent entity whereas Asian philosophy stresses the individual’s role as a component within a greater society. Both perspectives are valid; they are just different ways of conceptualizing what one is observing.
This short paper is offered in an attempt to illustrate that the dysbiosis theory and the infectious theory of Crohn’s disease are not mutually exclusive.
Let’s admit it – Crohn’s disease is not something that the vast majority of sufferers are thankful for. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. It’s a thorn in our side at best, and a disease that debilitates patients until it steals their very life at worst. As most of America gathers for Thanksgiving to count their blessings, I’ve struggled to find anything positive about Crohn’s disease.
History has a way of repeating itself. That is why, when John Aitken suggested I read The Forgotten Plague: How the Battle Against Tuberculosis was Won – and Lost by Frank Ryan, M.D., I jumped at the chance. Indeed, I have not been disappointed. It’s a fascinating book, rich with detail that I have found applicable to the research being conducted now with Crohn’s disease. Highlighted below are some passages from the first half of the book that seemed of particular interest. I hope that you will enjoy the brief foray into the history of tuberculosis, and notice some parallels to the fight against Crohn’s disease today.
In 2011, Dr. William Chamberlin, Prof. Thomas Borody and Dr. Jordana Campbell collaborated on a meta-analysis of the published Medline studies from 1976 to 2011 which discussed Crohn’s disease patients treated with antibiotic combination therapy. The article, Primary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease: Combined Antibiotics Taking Center Stage, gives unbiased data on the effectiveness of antibiotic use in Crohn’s disease. For those of you who are short on time or find this type of technical reading difficult, we have attempted to summarize the key points.
On October 19, 2015 John Aitken and his team presented details about their Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) research to attendees of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) meeting in Hawaii. The poster that Mr. Aitken and his team presented is shared here. It discusses how his team has isolated Son of MAP in the blood of Crohn’s disease patients, a novel idea to many in the GI field.
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