Impact of Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis (MAP) on Crhon’s disease and Effective Nursing Care

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease and is also an autoimmune disease (CDC, 2021; Johns Hopkins Medicine; NIH; Hinkle & Cheever, 2017). However, recent studies have found that John's Disease (JD) occurring in animals is very similar to Crohn's Disease (CD) appearing in humans. The Mycobacterium avium subsp Paratuberculosis (MAP) bacteria that causes JD has drawn recent attention (McNees et al, 2015; Pierce, 2010). Many studies have revealed that MAP bacteria have been found in many Crohn's disease patients and it’s suspected that MAP bacteria may be the main cause of Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease nursing strategies are emerging that consider MAP bacterial infection (Rosenfeld & Bressler, 2010; Crohn's MAP Vaccine; Momotani et al., 2012). A recent study notes that various immunosuppressant medication treatments present with documented significant adverse effects that include but are not limited to dependency on steroids and hypersensitivity (Alcedo et al., 2016; Hinkle & Cheever, 2017). In most cases, patients need surgical intervention, including various abdominal surgeries such as laparoscopic surgery (Alcedo et al., 2016). These surgical procedures require the patient high cost, time consuming for recovery, and change their lifestyle, especially when the CD recurs (Alcedo et al., 2016). This study explores nutrition, patient education for self-management, nursing interventions, and lab results in order to provide better nursing care for Crohn's disease patients with focus on MAP bacterial infection. This study looks at possible patient's nutritional limitations with the consideration of MAP bacterial infection with the evidence of lab indicators and nursing interventions including patient isolation, patient education for self-care and adherence to continuous medication, based on the immunosuppressants the patient receives.