Isolation of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Reactive CD4 T Cells from Intestinal Biopsies of Crohn's Disease Patients

Abstract

The presence of MAP reactive T cells with a Th1 or Th1/Th17 phenotype may suggest a possible role of mycobacteria in the inflammation seen in CD. The isolation of intestinal T cells followed by characterization of their specificity is a valuable tool to study the relative importance of different bacteria in CD.