WRITTEN QUESTION E-1093/01

by David Bowe (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 2001)

Subject: Link between Crohn's disease and paratuberculosis

Could the Commission give a brief summary and findings from the study it has conducted on a possible link between Crohn's disease and paratuberculosis?

Will the Commission be taking any further action in this area?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(8 June 2001)

A report entitled Possible links between Crohn's disease and paratuberculosis was adopted by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare in March 2000. The report is available on the Commissions web site at the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scah/out38_en.pdf

The report is a comprehensive review of the subject which merits being read in its entirety. However, the Committee summarises its findings as follows:

The currently available evidence is insufficient to confirm or disprove that Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is a causative agent of at least some cases of Crohn's disease in man. There are sufficient grounds for concern to warrant increased and urgent research activity to resolve the issue.

The Commission is funding, through the Quality of life and management of living resources programme of the Fifth Research and Technological Development (RTD) framework programme, a research project on the improvement of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sarcoidosis and Crohn's Disease (Sacrohn). The project started on 1 October 2000 and continues until October 2003. The project aims at developing new molecular detection methods and culture techniques, in particular using molecular typing techniques to establish any possible links between ruminant sources of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and the aetiology of Crohn's Disease.

At this early stage no concrete results are available from this project to see whether there may be any links between Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in (products from) ruminants and Crohn's Disease.