Immunomagnetic Separation Assay for Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis

Johne's disease, caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (M. para), is a chronic inflamatory bowel disease of ruminants. recent literature has fueled an as-yet unresolved debate about whether this organism is also the eitiological agent of at least some proportion of Crohn's Disease in humans. Detection of the organism in stool is difficult due to slow growth and fastidious nature of M. para, hampering many of the studies of its pathogenesis and interfering with eradication efforts in cattle. PCR- based detection of M. para is highly specific, due to the presence of aunique sequence (IS900), but extensive sample preparation and PCR inhibitors in stool limit the sensitivity and utility of the method.