Crohn’s MAP Vaccine: a potential Crohn’s disease cure?

What is Crohn’s Disease?

Crohn’s disease is a debilitating and aggressive form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). It affects an estimated 4 million worldwide, including 1.2 million in the USA and around 250,000 in the UK – and numbers are increasing, especially in children.

Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, weight loss, bloody diarrhoea and chronic fatigue. Approximately 80% of patients will need surgery at some point in their lifetime. The lives of most are blighted by multiple hospitalisations, surgeries and immuno-suppressive therapies, which may have nasty side effects. As a result many people have difficulty holding down a job or attending school.

There is no cure for Crohn’s and no cause is officially recognised. However, we believe there is compelling evidence pointing to MAP as the cause of Crohn’s disease.

What is MAP?

MAP is proven to cause Johne’s Disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease affecting domestic livestock, which is strikingly similar to Crohn’s Disease.

MAP is a type of bacteria: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). It belongs to a family of bacteria called ‘Mycobacteria’, which also includes Tuberculosis and Leprosy.

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Research Papers on Crohn’s and MAP

Core Literature
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