Here's how I feel currently about this:
There is much more MAP found in crohn patients than controls, period, this is now undeniable.
Now the question is, is the MAP causing the disease or is it a side effect of crohn.
Argument against MAP:
*MAP is found in some normal people too, much rarer but it is, but not in spheroplast form afaik, but then why wouldn't it, it's everywhere
*MAP is not found in everyone with Crohn, but then this doesn't rule out MAP, it is found in the majority, Crohn could be multiple diseases, it could also be because MAP is hard to detect
*antibiotics isn't putting everyone into remission, but then not every antibiotic works on TB patients either
*MAP could simply be a side effect of the permeability in the intestin that some people with crohn have -> this is the only reasonable argument against MAP atm
Argument for MAP: :
*the majority of Crohn patients are now found to have extreme amounts of MAP
*many people with Crohn have MAP antibodies
*Johne's disease in animals is extremely similar to Crohn's disease
*Many species extremely close to humans, infected with MAP get sick like us, monkeys, sheep, rats, horses, cattle, etc. There is no reason why humans would be exempt from this disease.
*Infliximab has been shown to lower MAP, TNF-Alpha is linked to MAP in some way (this can be countered by the permeability argument)
*Antibiotics cocktails have been shown to be effective in over 60% of patients in some studies.
*NOD2 has been shown to have an effect on MAP in cattle.
*The increase in Crohn can not be explained by genetics alone. Only a pathogen can explain this.
