The normal pasteurisation process involves heating milk to 72C for 15 seconds, but to be sure of killing MAP it would need to be heated to that level for twice as long. Crohn's disease is not fatal but causes chronic diarrhoea, persistent abdominal pain, weight loss, tiredness and mental problems. The cost to the nation of sufferers' medical care is estimated to be BPS 240 million a year. I believe there would be almost no Crohn's disease. His study, funded by Action Research, the medical charity, shows that MAP can live undetected in cattle for years.
Infected cows secrete the bacteria into their milk and on to their pastures.
Tests have proved that MAP causes chronic infection of the intestines of many animals, including four types of primates. American studies have isolated MAP from the breast milk of women with Crohn's disease but not in women who do not have the illness. He wants to see the Government reverse its decision to allow the sale of unpasteurised milk and to increase the stringency of the pasteurising process. Dairy herds ought to be tested for the infection and the illness ought to notifiable, he said. Professor Hermon-Taylor said that anybody worried about catching the disease from milk could be certain of killing any MAP by heating it to 80C and then allowing it to cool before drinking it.