New research from Lancaster University has found the MAP pathogen associated with Crohn's Disease to be present in 10% of domestic showers sampled and in the spray from a Welsh river. It is suggested that these may be mechanisms by which people can be infected, and that this may be a trigger for Crohn's.It has long been suspected that the consumption of milk may be the route for MAP to enter the human body, but this appears to be the first research into infection through inhalation. However, it should be noted that it has yet to be proven that MAP is the cause of Crohn's. Even if MAP is present in most people in Crohn's it does not necessarily mean that it was the cause rather than a result of the condition.
Full details of this research can be read for free in the open access journal Pathogens.