To try and answer that fairly:
As much of a fan as I have become over MAP recently, I must admit the consensus (or truth) is probably still, simply, that 'no one knows'.
It hasn't been proven that MAP is 'the' or even 'a' cause of Crohn's Disease. It hasn't been proven that MAP can and does worsen symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis. It has't been proven that Ulcerative Colitis nor Crohn's disease are actually autoimmune conditions and nothing has shown that dysbiosis is the cause of either. There are associations with all of the above though - i.e. Map seems to be associated with Crohn's, and auto antigens/antibodies seem to be somewhat more associated with UC and dysbiosis seems to be associated with both - but as Dr. Chiodini once said in an email - association is by no means causation.
It does look like some of these are very close to getting proven, or darn close to 'proof' at least.
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Soooo... What does one do or think? - "Consensus" really just means a group decision based on personal opinions. And this is going to differ depending on the people you ask and 'data' and research they have to base their opinions on.
Let's take Professor Herman Taylor's opinion, he (and his group) state MAP is detected in the blood of of 100% of Crohn's disease patients now with their new test and only seems to be present in a 'some' ~30% I believe of Ulcerative Colitis patients. So his opinion is they are two separate diseases. But he and his group are the only one's with access to their data - i.e. their test results at the moment. Until others have access to their data they really can't make a truly informed opinion.
Perhaps in the future, if the test is proven out and there is a correlation between getting better and reduction in MAP in the blood or tissue other questions might arise:
If people with UC that test MAP positive find a dramatic improvement after treatment for MAP - why is this? Is it the bacteria itself causing all the problems directly? Is it something common to many bacteria causing the problem? Is the bacteria found in the blood of Crohn's Patients, but only in the mucosa/ilium of Ulcerative Colitis patients? and on and on...
Personally I feel that proving/solving the first step of Crohn's Disease (MAP or no MAP) will lead to questions like the above about
UC if they also see improvement either directly by antibacterial treatment or indirectly by reduction of bacteria in environment and this in turn will lead to new answers about
UC in general.
Sort of a win/win situation for both.
Others may have a different opinion on the matter though!
Post Edited (Canada Mark) : 10/14/2015 11:45:37 AM (GMT-6)