Cornell veterinary scientists discover novel group of bacteria

Ithaca, N.Y. - 8/8/2007 - A team of Cornell University scientists from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences discovered that a novel group of E. coli bacteria is associated with intestinal inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease, the university reports.

Their findings were published in The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology.

These E. coli bacteria contain genes similar to those described in uropathogenic and avian pathogenic E. coli and enteropathogenic bacteria such as salmonella, cholera and bubonic plague, the university reports.

Crohn's disease is an incurable inflammatory disorder of the intestine most commonly found in the ileum. The disease affects one-in-1,000 people in Europe and North America. Gut bacteria have long been suspected in playing a pivotal role in the development of the disease, but the specific bacterial characteristics that drive the inflammatory response have remained elusive, Cornell adds.