Evidence for a transmissible factor in Crohn's disease.

The injection of rabbits' ileum with homogenates of both normal and Crohn's affected human bowel tissue gave Crohn's-like changes in 11 of 27 animals after six months, but 12 months after injection the rabbit bowel had reverted to normal. The addition of ampicillin to the homogenates prevented the appearance of these Crohn's-like changes in 12 out of 12 rabbits. These results are interpreted as providing evidence for a transmissible factor present in both normal and Crohn's affected bowel in the aetiology of Crohn's disease.