Mycobacterium paratuberculosis DNA not detected in Crohn's disease tissue by fluorescent polymerase chain reaction

Gut. 1995 Nov;37(5):660-7. doi: 10.1136/gut.37.5.660.

Abstract

The role of mycobacteria in the aetiology of Crohn's disease has been a contentious subject for many years. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is known to cause a chronic granulomatous enteritis in animals (Johne's disease) and has been implicated as a possible infectious cause of Crohn's disease. However this fastidious organism is only rarely detected by conventional microbiological techniques. This study used oligonucleotide primers to the species-specific M paratuberculosis IS900 DNA insertion element and the polymerase chain reaction to amplify any M paratuberculosis DNA from intestinal tissue DNA extracts. One oligonucleotide primer was fluorochrome-labelled and the presence of fluorescent amplified product was determined using an automated DNA sequencer with a computerised gel-scanning laser. This method was shown capable of detecting 1-2 mycobacterial genomes. Intestinal tissue samples were obtained from 68 patients with histologically confirmed Crohn's disease, 49 patients with histologically confirmed ulcerative colitis, and 26 non-inflammatory bowel disease controls. In no case was M paratuberculosis detected in any of the inflammatory bowel disease tissue samples and only one non-inflammatory bowel disease case was positive. These results do not support the hypothesis that M paratuberculosis has an aetiological role in Crohn's disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Base Sequence
  • Colitis, Ulcerative / microbiology
  • Colon / microbiology
  • Crohn Disease / microbiology*
  • DNA Primers / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intestine, Small / microbiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / isolation & purification*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Bacterial