Information on Report of the Scientific Committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and its links to Crohn's Disease

Note: this is a summary of the Report of the Scientific Committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and its links to Crohn's Disease (ISBN: 978-1-910348-48-2). The original report can be found on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland website (www.fsai.ie) Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis or Johne’s disease in cattle (JD). Similarities between JD in cattle and Crohn’s Disease (CD), a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in humans have prompted speculation on a possible role for Map in the pathogenesis of CD. In 2020, an ad-hoc subcommittee of the Scientific Committee of the FSAI reviewed primary, peer-reviewed papers published in the scientific literature between 2009 and 2019 which reference the putative link between Map and CD. Numerous studies published during that period provide evidence of an association between the presence of Map or human exposure to Map and the occurrence of CD. However, no new evidence has been published to substantiate the suggestion that this association is causal. The subcommittee also reviewed recently published papers (2009-2019) on the efficacy of thermal pasteurisation at inactivating Map. This review suggests that viable Map is unlikely to be found in milk that has been pasteurised at a time-temperature combination of at least 75°C for 20 seconds. Finally, the Committee considered current gaps in knowledge which impact on the ability to assess the risk that Map poses to human health and the risk that humans could be exposed to Map in food; further studies to address these knowledge gaps are suggested.IE; PDF; FocalPoint@fsai.i