PCR analysis of T-whippelii DNA in a case of Whipple's disease: Effect of antibiotics and correlation with histology AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY Petrides, P. E., Muller-Hocker, J., Fredricks, D. N., Relman, D. A. 1998; 93 (9): 1579-1582

Abstract

A 58-yr-old man developed severe weight loss, arthralgias, and diarrhea. Endoscopic examination of the stomach and duodenum revealed thickened folds of duodenal mucosa. Biopsy of the gastric mucosa was negative, whereas duodenal biopsy revealed blunted epithelial villi and PAS-positive foamy macrophages within the lamina propria. Bacilli typical of those associated with Whipple's disease were found by electron microscopy. The diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, which detected a portion of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence corresponding to the Whipple bacillus (Tropheryma whippelii) in duodenum, stomach, and liver biopsies before therapy. T. whippelii DNA was eliminated from all tissues tested within 3 months of starting antibiotic treatment, but the histological improvement lagged behind the clinical and molecular evidence of improvement.

View details for Web of Science ID 000075746400043

View details for PubMedID 9732952