[Pathogenesis of Crohn's disease. Evaluation criteria for an animal model]

The origin of Crohn's disease is controverted. Experimental animal studies have not thus far supported a specific pathogenetic factor, a situation ascribed to the fact that the standard requirements of an "ideal" animal model are unsuited to diseases with a multifactorial pathogenesis such as Crohn's disease. In a new experimental animal model the hypothesis of a causal relationship between chemically processed dietary fats and the development of Crohn's disease was studied in 32 pigs. One finding was that experimental animals showed early morphologic lesions of the mucosa as specific to regional enteritis. The primary changes in the mucosa are thought to play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of the disease. The model opens up new perspectives for planning, management and evaluation of experimental animal models in studying further aspects of etiology in Crohn's disease.