Proceedings of the 10th International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis

In 2008, <strong>the</strong> American Academy <strong>of</strong> Microbiologists published its report on Mycobacterium
avium paratuberculosis: Infrequent human pathogen or public health threat (2). The
executive summary states, “<strong>the</strong> association <strong>of</strong> MAP and CD is no longer in question. The
critical issue today is not whe<strong>the</strong>r MAP is associated with CD, but whe<strong>the</strong>r MAP causes CD
or is only incidentally present.”
By 2008, <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> Koch’s postulates for causation had been effectively met from data
engendered by <strong>the</strong> medical side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> controversy (3-9).
In 2009, three independent diagnostic laboratories (Michael T. Collins, Saleh A. Naser, and
that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recovered Map from <strong>the</strong> blood <strong>of</strong>
individuals with Crohn’s disease (10). Naser’s previous recovery <strong>of</strong> Map from <strong>the</strong> blood <strong>of</strong>
Crohn’s patients and <strong>the</strong> breast milk <strong>of</strong> two postpartum CD females without corresponding
recovery from non-Crohn’s diseased individuals had been largely under appreciated.
CONCLUSION
From a medical infectious disease point <strong>of</strong> view, <strong>the</strong> validation <strong>of</strong> Naser’s original findings
cuts short <strong>the</strong> argument as to causality. If an individual has certain retroviruses in his or her
white blood cells, he or she has HIV infection. If <strong>the</strong> individual has hepatitis B or C virus in his
or her white blood cells, he or she has hepatitis infection. If an individual has Map in his or
her white blood cells, he or she has infection with map. If <strong>the</strong> vast preponderance <strong>of</strong>
individuals with map in <strong>the</strong>ir white blood cells has Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel
syndrome, <strong>the</strong> critical element <strong>of</strong> Koch’s postulates for causation has been met.
The Rio Declaration Relative to Food Safety states, “Where <strong>the</strong>re are threats <strong>of</strong> irreversible
damage, lack <strong>of</strong> full scientific certainty shall not be used as reason to postpone cost-effective
measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
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2. Nacy C. Buckley M.: Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis: Infrequent human
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