In 1530, the islandswere given by Spain to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of StJohn of Jerusalem ina perpetuallease. Their reign ended when Napoleonconquered the islands in 1798.
The latest controversy has been raised by dermatologists from St John's Institute of Dermatology in London and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.
Professor John Hermon-Taylor, head of surgery at St George's Hospital in London, believes the bacterium can be linked to both Crohn's disease and an almost identical condition in cattle.