1. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Paratuberculosis in cattle: A possible risk for consumers Karel Hruška and Ivo Pavlík

2. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Paratuberculosis (Johne‘s disease)  caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis  no known toxins but strong immune reaction in the gut  massive multiplication in acute phase of disease  presence in milk and meat Crohn disease  similar pathological symptoms in man  family history is a risk factor  autoimmune disease ? primed by bacterial mimicry

3. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Crohn‘s disease incidence and importance 0,15 per cent of the population USA 400 000 people costs 1,0 to 1,2 billion dollars Western Europe 280 000 people similar prevalence in Canada, Australia and New Zealand (all with high incidence of paratuberculosis) Central and Eastern European countries have lower incidence of CD and less paratuberculosis, but rapid increase of incidence in both diseases

4. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Risk factors  both viable and dead bacteria in milk, beef and venison  surviving of mycobacteria in the environment and water  several years of latent period of disease  difficult diagnosis  expensive eradication of paratuberculosis  absence of unified opinion

5. Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Never is too early to look for the solution if the real problem exists  farmers must be informed why and how to keep their herds paratuberculosis free  herds not yet infected should be protected  milk and meat from infected cattle should not be consumed by people under risk (children and family members of CD patients)  bioproducts cannot be marketed from cattle suffering from paratuberculosis