LONDON - British scientists say they may have found a connection between Crohn's disease and a type of bacteria found in milk.

. . . . Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis bacteria, or MAP.

[. . . .]

Researchers discovered 92 per cent of patients with Crohn's had MAP. . . .

"The discovery that the MAP bug is present in the vast majority of Crohn's sufferers means it is almost certainly causing the intestinal inflammation," concluded the study.

Researchers caution consumers not to stop drinking milk but rather that people with Crohn's and their close relatives start drinking UHT milk — the long-lasting milk that can sit at room temperature for years.

"UHT involves higher pasteurization temperatures, which probably destroys MAP," said the scientists.