Mycobacterial infection influences bone biomarker levels in Crohn’s disease

Patients with Crohn’s disease have higher risk for osteoporosis following decreased level of osteocalcin. We hypothesize that active inflammation following Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infection results in elevation of undercarboxylated Osteocalcin (ucOC) and downregulation of active Osteocalcin in CD patients and cow disease-model (Johne’s disease). In this study, we measured ucOC, active osteocalcin and calcium levels in sera from 42 cattle (21 infected with MAP and 21 healthy cattle), 18 CD patients and 20 controls. The level of ucOC in MAP+ bovine samples was higher (318±57.2 nmol/mL) vs. 289±95.8 nmol/mL) than MAP- controls, P-value >0.05. Consequently, average calcium level in bovine MAP+ was significantly higher (9.98±0.998 mg/dL vs. 7.65±2.12 mg/dL) than bovine-MAP- samples (P-value<0.05). Also, the level of ucOC was higher (561±237 nmol/mL) vs. 285±196 nmol/mL) in CD-MAP+ compared to CD-MAP- (P-value<0.05). Interestingly, the average osteocalcin level in MAP+ bovine was l...