First study shows inhaled bacteria in your shower could trigger Crohn's disease

EmaxHealth.com ^ | 2014-08-16 | Kathleen Blanchard

[Armen Hareyan]

This can possibly the first identifiable trigger or cause of Crohn's disease, reports Kathleen Blanchard from EmaxHealth.com referring to a study by University of Lancaster. Big news for more than 600,000 Crohn's sufferers in the United states.

Researchers have been exploring the link between a bacteria found in water and Crohn's Disease. In a new finding UK scientists say mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis or Map, a bacteria that infects livestock,has been found in household showers that could explain clusters of Crohn's disease.

Inhaled bacteria a trigger for Crohn's disease

This is the first time researchers have found the bacteria in showers that comes from runoff from farms with infected animals.

In cows, Map causes Johne's disease. Symptoms include diarrhea and wasting.

“It comes through the water system and with the other bacteria forms a biofilm in the shower tube and then this grows and gets washed off and comes through in the shower water," Professor Roger Pickup, from Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine, said.

Crohn's disease has been found in clusters in the Cardiff region of the UK, which could be explained in part by the Map bacteria.

Nearly everyone with Crohn's disease has been found to be infected with Map when testing is done correctly the authors note. Testing is done by identifying bacterial DNA or RNA or by cultures.

As early as 2003 research suggested there could be a possible cure for Crohn's disease using macrolide antibiotics and more studies were proposed. Common examples of macrolide antibiotics include Erythromycin and Azithromycin.

The bacteria thought to trigger Crohn's disease was also found in spray coming off the river Taff on a regular basis.

Professor Pickup suggests running the shower for a short period before getting in to make sure the bacteria is washed from pipes and the biofilm removed from tubs. The same is recommended to prevent Legionnaires' disease Pickup adds.

The study

The researchers looked at 30 water samples from showers in various regions of the UK. Three of the samples contained Map. The study is published in the journal Pathogens and is the first to show the Map bacteria when inhaled from the shower or river could trigger Crohn's disease. There is also a clinical trial underway to determine if anti-Map therapy could cure Crohn's disease. This in turn begs the question: is a cure for Crohn's disease in sight?

[Revel]

Test

[Revel]

It worked! Now people can post to this thread.

Let me start by saying I would think this would not happen with a chlorinated water supply.

[LearsFool]

Interesting discovery!

This in turn begs the question

But I really wish professional writers would educate themselves on the "begging the question" fallacy (aka "circular reasoning", aka "petitio principii", etc.) instead of misusing that phrase to sound educated.

[Rodamala]

But I really wish professional writers would educate themselves on the "begging the question" fallacy (aka "circular reasoning", aka "petitio principii", etc.) instead of misusing that phrase to sound educated.

Every single time I hear that phrase, someone is misusing it and it bugs me greatly as well.

The author probably wouldn't be able to define the term fallacy on a multiple choice test.

Thank you for taking the lead on this one!