Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in children with early-onset Crohn's disease: a longitudinal follow-up study.

摘要

Crohn's disease (CD) is increasing worldwide and while it seems that the number of newly diagnosed CD patients in high-incidence countries has plateaued in the adult population, the incidence of pediatric CD continues to rise.1"3 The cause of this increase in pediatric CD is not known but there is much conjecture concerning an association between infection and development of CD. Mycobacte-rium avium subspecies paratuberculo-sis (MAP) has been identified in association with CD. MAP is currently thought to act as either an opportunistic infection, unrelated to etiology of CD, or as a causative agent of CD. Much controversy surrounds the significance of these findings.