MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM PARATUBERCULOSIS Infrequent Human Pathogen or Public Health Threat_Crohn's.pdf

MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM PARATUBERCULOSIS - Infrequent Human Pathogen or Public Health Threat_Crohn’s

This report is based on a colloquium, sponsored by the American Academy of Microbiology, convened June 15-17, 2007, in Salem, Massachusetts.

Crohn’s Disease (CD) is a devastating illness in search of a cause and a cure. More than 800,000 people in North America suffer from CD, a gastrointestinal disorder characterized by severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding, bowel obstruction, and a variety of systemic symptoms that can impede the ability to lead a normal life during chronic episodes that span months to years.

Researchers and clinicians agree that onset of CD requires a series of events; implicated are certain inherited genetic traits, an environmental stimulus, and an overzealous immune and inflammatory response. The combination of these factors contributes to a disease whose course is variable among patients and whose symptoms range from mild to devastating on any given day. The economic and social impact of this disease is substantial for the patient, the amily, the community, and the healthcare system.