New Study Finds that Acute Foodborne Illness Can Lead to Crohn's Disease

A new study has shown that those who become ill with acute infectious gastroenteritis from common food-poisoning bacteria may be at an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease later in life.

Using a mouse model of Crohn’s disease, the researchers at McMaster University in Canada discovered that acute infectious gastroenteritis caused by common food-poisoning bacteria accelerates the growth of adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) – a bacterium that has been linked to Crohn’s pathogenesis.

Even after the mice had cleared the food-poisoning bacteria, researchers still observed increased levels of AIEC in the gut, which led to worsened symptoms over a long period of time.

The study’s results, according to Dr. Coombes, provide the rationale for the development of novel diagnostic tools that could identify AIEC-colonized individuals who may be at greater risk for Crohn’s disease following an episode of acute infectious gastroenteritis.

The study, published in October in the journal PLOS Pathogens, was funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.