Treatment of Crohn's Disease With an Antibiotic Regimen Directed Against Mycobacterium Avium Paratuberculosis

Summary

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. The origin of Crohn's disease remains unknown and there is no curative therapy, either medical or surgical, for this gut disorder. It is believed that an infectious agent is important in the development of Crohn's disease. The similarity of Crohn's disease to the animal form of ileitis, termed Johne's disease, supports the possibility that both disorders are caused by exposure to Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis or MAP. Multiple investigators have demonstrated good clinical responses of patients with Crohn's disease to treatment with triple antibiotic therapy directed against mycobacterial infection. The hypothesis of this protocol is that triple antibiotic therapy is useful as a medical therapy for patients with Crohn's disease. The aim of this study is to examine the response of patients with Crohn's disease who are not receiving therapy with biological agents to triple antibiotic therapy.

Timeline

Start

2007-07

Primary completion

2007-07

Completion

2007-07

Publications

• Background Karp SM, Koch TR, Pang G. Is there a MAP (Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis) for treating Crohn's disease? Practical Gastroenterology 31(4):40-50, 2007.

Drugs

Indications