Who is PARA?

Incorporated in mid-1997, the Paratuberculosis Awareness and Research Association, or PARA, is a nonprofit organization comprised of lay persons with Crohn's disease, their families and friends. PARA was formed because we became aware of scientific evidence suggesting an infectious organism -- a bacterium known as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) -- may be causing Crohn's disease.

At its inception, PARA began contacting a handful of highly regarded researchers and physicians who, despite little or no available funding, were valiantly, sometimes at their own expense, continuing to pursue the truth about MAP and Crohn's disease. Most impressively, these researchers were amassing a rapidly growing body of evidence -- evidence suggesting a causal link between MAP and Crohn's disease.

In the past three and one-half years, the entire story has become increasingly clear and the evidence has become increasingly more compelling.

How to Contact PARA: