Paratuberculosis in Milk: Background

[Guest guest]

Robert Cohen <i4crob

:

Sun, 28 Jan 2001 07:52:59 -0500

 

DO MEAT PRODUCERS GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU?

 

Each issue of Hoard's Dairyman (the dairy industry

magazine) contains an advice column written by

three University of Wisconsin veterinarians. Readers

submit questions, and the vets offer their opinions.

 

REASONBLE QUESTION, OUTRAGEOUS RESPONSE

 

In the January 5, 2001 issue (vol. 146, no. 2, p. 82),

a dairy farmer asks:

 

" Are there any food safety or liability concerns

or issues when I send a Johne's positive cow to

slaughter? "

 

WHAT IS JOHNE'S?

 

I recently wrote a column about Johne's

disease. This cow ailment is caused by

bacteria, mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Before getting to the outrageous and

unethical response, you must understand

the seriousness of this issue. My column:

 

C is for CROHN'S DISEASE

 

Cows diagnosed with Johne's Disease have

diarrhea and heavy fecal shedding of bacteria.

This bacteria becomes cultured in milk and is

not destroyed by pasteurization. Occasionally,

the milk-borne bacteria will begin to grow in the

human host, and irritable bowel syndrome and

Crohn's results.

______

 

" It is reasonable to conjecture that M. paratuberculosis

may be responsible for some cases of Crohn's disease. "

 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology 1992;30(12):3070-3073

______

 

" Johne's disease and Crohn's disease are remarkably similar

in clinical signs and intestinal pathology. "

 

Hoard's Dairyman, January 24, 1995

______

 

" Of 77 milk samples (taken from cows with Johne's disease),

11.6% were culture-positive (contained M. paratubercolosis). "

 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology 1992;30(1):166-171

______

 

" Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was isolated from tissue

taken from patients with Crohn's disease and is implicated

in the etiology of this disease. "

 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1993, May 31(5)

______

 

" Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis crosses the species

barrier to infect and cause disease in humans. "

 

J Hermon-Taylor, British Medical Journal, Feb 1998.315

______

 

" Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is capable of surviving

commercial pasteurization, when there are more than 10

bacteria per millilitre in raw milk. "

 

N. Sung, Applied and Environmental Microbiology: 64(3), Mar 1998.

______

 

" Mycobacterium paratuberculosis RNA was found in 100%

of Crohn's disease patients, compared with 0% of controls. "

 

D. Mishina, Proceedings National Academy of Sciences

USA: 93: September, 1996

______

 

THE VETERINARIAN'S RESPONSE

(IMMORAL AND UNETHICAL)

 

" To date, there are no known food safety risks or liability

concerns when a Johne's-positive cow is slaughtered. In

fact, culling test positive cows will reduce contamination

of the farm environment and lower the risk that other cattle

will become infected with organisms that she sheds.

 

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, the organism that causes

Johne's, can be shed in milk, colostrum, and feces and

potentially could enter the food chain in the raw milk, cheese,

or meat from infected cattle. Similarities between Crohn's

disease in people, the cause of which is unknown, and

Johne's disease have prompted public health concerns

and reinforced the importance of drinking pasteurized

milk and dairy products and cooking meat thoroughly. "

 

ANALYSES OF THEIR RESPONSE

 

Mycobacterium partuberculosis is not killed by

pasteurization. Dairy industry veterinarians

clearly care more about safety on the farm than

safety to the consumer. That being the case,

the only safe way to insure that you do not

become one of the forty million Americans

with irritable bowel syndrome is to eliminate

milk, dairy, and meat from your diet.

 

Robert Cohen

http://www.notmilk.com

-------------------

THE NOTMILK NEWSLETTER:

SUBSCRIBE: send an empty Email to-

notmilk-

UNSUBSCRIBE: send an empty Email to-

notmilk-

 

Forward this message to your milk-drinking friends:

Learn about MILK from A to Z: http://www.notmilk.com/milkatoz.html

PLAY 2O QUESTIONS: http://www.notmilk.com/notmilkfaq.html